Sunny Side Up
by Noticeable801
Summary: The staff of Seattle Grace take a trip that will change their lives. Friendships will be made, love will be discovered. Addex bits of Burktina, MerDer, McStizzie, CaGe UPDATE : Chapter 16. :
1. Time's Up

Disclaimer: I do not own any the characters from Grey's Anatomy.

Description: The staff of Seattle Grace embarks on an interesting journey. Friendships will be made, love will be discovered. Addex bits of Burktina, MerDer, McStizzie, George&Callie

**Sunny Side Up**

_Chapter 1- Time's up_

It seemed like an ordinary day, yet it wasn't. Not even close. It felt the same, it looked the same but something was different. Something seemed….off. Yet everything was normal. There were patients waiting to be cared for, and nurses gossiping away behind their desks. There were also a few doctors getting frisky behind closed doors, as always...The only noticeable difference was that it was a bit more quiet than usual. But that wasn't it. There was something else, but what was it?

Addison Montgomery made her way to the OR board to see if she had any surgeries scheduled but her name was nowhere to be found. As she read the board, she noticed that there weren't any of the regular names. She could find Derek's, nor Preston's. There was no sign of Mark, Bailey or even Callie. This was odd. It might just have been her, but she was certain that there was something weird about the fact that none of the best surgeons of Seattle Grace were scheduled for surgery. Sure it happened that one would get a day without any, but that all of them would suddenly find themselves unoccupied at the exact same time…there was definitely more to this.

Addison made her way to the chief's office but he wasn't there. She asked a nurse if she had seen him in today. The nurse told her that Dr. Webber was waiting for her in the conference room. Bizarre, Addison thought to herself. Nevertheless, she started walking to the conference room. As the elevator doors opened, she looked up and saw Alex Karev leaning against the wall. She walked in briskly her mind elsewhere.

'Dr. Montgomery,' Alex said.

'Karev,' she replied distractedly.

'Where are you off to?'

'The conference room.'

'Me too.'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously. I was looking for Dr. Bailey and a nurse told me the Chief was waiting for me there.'

'Same here…I wonder what this is about.'

Before he could reply, the elevator doors came open and they saw a large group of people huddled around the conference room door. There was Derek, Mark, Preston, Meredith, Izzie, George, Cristina and Callie. They were all bickering with each other about what this was all about. Addison and Alex joined the frenzy. Every one was yelling but still, no one knew what was going on.

'Derek! This is not my fault! Why are you yelling at me?' Addison said anger evident in her voice.

'I'm yelling?! Look who's talking!?'

'I'm tired of you blaming me for everything thing that goes wrong in your life!'

'Oh no, not this again. Addison, we've talked about this. Let's not go back down that road,' Derek replied tiredly.

'That's the thing Derek: We haven't talked about this. I think we should address the issue!'

'Addi-'

He was cut off by the deep voice of Chief Webber. That definitely shut them all up. They all turned to him, curiosity written all over their faces. He motioned to the conference room, inviting them all to enter so they could talk more privately.

They all took their seats, each placing themselves strategically so they could avoid someone. They sat at the table, Derek next to Meredith, with Cristina next to her, and Burke following on her other side. Next to Burke was Addison, with Alex at her side, then Izzie, then Mark, George, and finally, Callie.

The Chief looked at the all and smiled slightly. He looked like he was thinking about his words carefully. He glanced around the table, staring each and every one of them directly in the eye before sitting himself at the very end of the table.

'You have all just proved my point,' he said. The smile was gone from his face, and was replaced by a frown. 'You all act like a bunch of teenagers around each other. Whether it be because you don't like someone', he looked between Callie and Izzie, 'or because you do like someone,' this time he looked to Addison and Alex, 'you all act like you're a bunch of hormone driven 15 year olds. It's got to stop.'

Everyone had definitely noticed the look Chief had sent Addison and Alex. They looked at them questioningly but both refused to make eye contact with anyone, preferring to stare straight ahead.

'I was hoping that these problems would solve themselves and so I decided to give it some time,' he continued slowly, 'but it is obvious that isn't going to happen. Time's up! Therefore, I've decided to take things into my own hands.'

They looked at him expectantly. They all looked slightly embarrassed about the situation but confused about where Dr. Webber was going with this. Silence stretched on as he continued to stare them down. Maybe he had paused for dramatic effect but this was insane. They wanted so desperately to know what he had decided to do. Finally, someone spoke up:

'So are you…going to tell us what you decided to do…Chief, sir?' Cristina said hurriedly. They all wanted the answer to the question but Cristina, being as curious as she was, just had to say something.

'Yes, Dr. Yang. I was getting to that,' he said through his teeth. 'I thought long and hard about how to deal with this, and I've decided that…'

Meredith had an intense look on her face and Derek's mouth was somewhat open. Cristina was on the edge of her seat as opposed to Burke who looked relaxed as always, but there was a slight twitch in his face. Addison was leaning forward as if she thought that if she didn't listen carefully, she would miss it. Alex looked pretty indifferent to it all, as usual, but he was just as curious as every other doctor in the room, maybe even more. Izzie's eyes were very big and round and Mark was displaying a bit of annoyance at the situation. Finally, George and Callie looked on at the Chief as if he had quite possibly lost his mind. The Chief smiled in amusement as he watched the awaiting faces of his staff.

'You're all going to the Bahamas,' he finished.


	2. Lucky

I know things aren't moving too fast right now…I just need things to be going at this pace right now to get everything situated…Thanks for the reviews!! Please, review more!

_Chapter 2-Lucky_

'What?' Mark's mouth was ajar.

'You, all of you, are going to the Bahamas to sort out your problems. I am sick and tired of all of this; all your little arguments. The tension is so high in the halls and I won't have any more of it,' Chief said with finality in his tone that made it quite clear that he was serious.

'For how long? Doesn't the hospital need us?' Derek asked, speaking for the first time.

'It'll only be a week. I've got everything covered,' he replied lightly. 'I don't want to hear anyone argue,' he said as they started fidgeting in their seats about to protest.

They all stopped after his warning.

'Good, then it's final. You leave tomorrow morning.'

Addison opened pulled some clothes from the closet that had served as hers for the past few weeks. The hotel life was taking its toll and her and she was glad to be leaving it for a week. Maybe this trip won't be so bad, she thought. However, she then realized that she would be staying in a hotel there also, and so returned to being bitter about being forced to go on this stupid trip.

Okay, so she didn't think it was a stupid trip. In fact, she thought it was a great idea on Richard's part to send them away to resolve their differences. But the thing was, she was part of this problem. She had her own differences to resolve and emotions to deal with. The look Richard had given her and Karev had scared her immensely. She knew they had all noticed and that positively mortified her. She really didn't need everyone to know another detail of her personal life. They already all knew about how she had cheated on Derek with Mark. Oh yes, that reminded her she would have to deal with those two on this trip. They were the 'differences' she had to resolve. She had been dreading the time she would have to face them. She kind of hoped she could just, avoid the situation, but Richard had made sure that wouldn't happen. Great.

She closed up her suitcase. It hadn't taken her very long to pack it as she hadn't put all of her clothes in the room in the first place. She picked it up, grunting at how heavy it was, and left the room.

As she walked into the hall, she ran into Mark and Callie who were also on their way down. They both wore the same look of unease on their faces as she. Addison attempted to smile at Callie but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The misery she felt at that moment was just too much.

They walked down the hall to the elevator in silence, none of them making eye contact. The ride down to the lobby would have been completely quiet had Mark not spoken up at the very last moment.

'So…this should be fun. Maybe I'll get lucky and get stuck in a hotel room with one of you…or both.' He smiled that trademark McSteamy smile and walked out of the elevator, leaving Addison and Callie speechless. Suddenly, they broke out into laughter, hoping beyond hope that would not happen. However, Addison thought maybe _she'd _get lucky and be put into a hotel room with Alex...then, maybe they could…No! This was not the time to think about this…actually, there was never a time to think about this. She shook herself to chase the thought away.

Callie and Addison shared a cab to the airport. The ride was silence for the most part, until Callie couldn't take it anymore and broke out into a rambling fit.

'I am freaking out right now like you have no idea!! I am so scared that I'm going to end up in a room with Stevens. She hates and I would die if I had to be in a room with her. I mean, everyone's mad that we're being sent on this little trip but I'm kind of happy, I'm in need of a vacation, but if Stevens is my roommate, it'll ruin everything!! And I-'

'Callie.'

'What!?'

'Relax. I know what you're feeling…I'm feeling it too. But honestly, there's nothing we can do,' Addison tried to offer comfort to her friend, but she end up making herself feel horribly nervous about the entire situation.

They pulled up at the airport and paid the driver. They then took out their suitcases and made their way through the sliding doors. They looked at the small gathering of people at the baggage check. They were the last to arrive. Callie practically ran to George's side, leaving Addison alone, starring at the people whom she would have to endure for the next week. She was going to kill Richard for this.


	3. Sitting wth the Enemy

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Chapter 3-Sitting With The Enemy

As the ten Seattle Grace Doctors walked onto the plane, they received many unfriendly glances from the other passengers. The seated people had definitely seen the fit that Mark had thrown when they were boarding. The group had looked at their tickets only to discover that the Chief had gotten them all business class seats. The interns didn't actually mind. They were getting this all expense paid vacation to the Bahamas and all they had to do in exchange was try and work out their little personal problems. The four world class surgeons however, were not really impressed by all of this. Imagine their surprised when they looked down at their tickets. Four people, who made over 2 million dollars a year, sitting in business class. Mark had flipped out completely, swearing at the top of his lungs while all eyes were on him. It had taken three security guards to calm him down.

And so now, as they made their way to their individual seats, they saw that there was a reason why they had been told that they were not allowed to swap tickets with others. They had also been told that there would be someone watching them in case one of them tried to cheat the Chief's system.

The look on Derek's face was one of incredible fury as he saw that he would be sitting next to none other than his ex best friend, Mark Sloan. He had the biggest urge to turn around, leave the plane and let them all go to the Bahamas without him. It was Meredith however that stopped him.

'Derek, come on. This is why we're going on this trip. He was your best friend. You guys must have stuff to talk about,' she whispered into his ear.

Derek shut his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. He inhaled, and exhaled a shaky breath before opening his eyes once more. He put on his best indifferent face on as he took his seat next to Mark.

'Well, look who's here,' Mark said grinning wickedly.

'Mark,' Derek spat out, a look of utter repulsion upon his face.

'Wooow. Someone's in a bad mood this morning. Come Derek, cheer up,' Mark exclaimed, very much enjoying the discomfort he was causing Derek.

'This is going to be a long trip,' Derek muttered under his breath.

A few feet further down the aisle, Callie let out a loud swear. Everyone turned to her, eyeing her suspiciously. She smiled and mumbled an apology before turning back to the source of her outburst.

'Stevens,' she said as she sat down next to Izzie that was scowling.

'Tores,' Izzie replied coldly. They looked at each other, both trying to stare the other down. If looks could kill, they would both have been dead now. Finally, Callie backed down and looked away, her face softening.

'Listen…Izzie…Maybe we should do as Chief said and try to resolve our differences…sign a peace treaty?' Callie was trying to sound as sincere as possible but it was pretty obvious it was taking all she had to say this. However, Callie wanted to have fun on this trip, and so she was ready to make a few…sacrifices.

Izzie looked momentarily shocked but she recovered quickly. 'Peace treaty. Seriously Callie,' she said her name with disgust on her face, 'Do you think this trip is going to fix anything?' Izzie asked her face hard.

'I guess not. But could we at least pretend like things are good? Maybe then I can still enjoy my trip a little.' The softness and sincerity in Callie's voice was completely gone only to be replaced with as much hostility in it as Izzie's.

Izzie seemed to be thinking about it. She squinted a little at Callie trying to figure out if she was being serious or not. When she was satisfied, she said: 'Fine.' That was the last time they would speak to each other during the entire flight.

Cristina and Burke found their respective seats and were pleased to see that, although they would not be sitting together, they were still relatively close as Burke's seat was right behind Cristina's. They sat down and Cristina almost yelled when George took the seat next to her. She watched Meredith sit next to Burke and couldn't help but feel jealous.

'Meredith, switch seats with George,' she ordered.

'Why?' Meredith asked confused.

'Because I don't want to spend this entire flight with Bambi!' She whined through the space between her seat and George's.

'Um, I'm right here…' George said a little insulted.

'George, it's nothing personal. I just don't like you that much,' she said bluntly, ignoring the look of surprise and confusion on George's face. 'Besides, you get along with Burke and I want to sit with Meredith. So what's the problem?'

'The problem is, Cristina,' Burke started calmly, slightly appalled by what she had said, 'this trip is about solving these problems. And so you should be doing the same. Plus the Chief said no trades!' He finished lamely.

'You're such a goodie-two-shoes!' She said giving him a dirty look before turning back in her seat so she had her back to George. Burke popped his head over her seat and whispered: 'And you're about as mature as a five year old!'

Meredith and George stifled a laugh but were soon silenced as they receive a glare from Cristina.

Addison was slowly making her way to the back of the plane, glancing behind her shoulder to see that everyone was seated except…Well look at that! Maybe she was going to be lucky after all. She sat in the window side seat, smiling at the thought of Mark and Derek stuck together during the flight. She was jolted out of her thoughts when a certain someone spoke to her.

'What are you smiling about?' Alex said amused at how he had made her jump.

'Nothing really. Just thinking about something funny,' she answered realizing she had probably looked insane when she had been smiling by herself.

'Right then. Are we taking off soon?' he asked looking around to see if there were vacant seats. When he found none he continued: 'Looks like everyone's here. What's the hold-up?'

'Patience Karev. They have to load the suitcases, close the doors and all that. Then they have to clear the track and-'

'Alright, alright, I get the point. And, since we're going to be spending the next week together, I think you should call me by my first name,' he said smirking.

'Ok then, Alex,' she put emphasis on his name, 'but can I ask why you're so eager to leave quickly?' she asked with her eyebrows slowly raised.

'Just because,' he answered a little too quickly.

'Alex.' She looked at him questioningly.

'Alright, fine. I-I've kind of got a fear of flying,' he stammered. Addison looked at him with understanding but he refused to look up at her. He felt stupid enough having admitted it to her, he didn't her rubbing it in his face. He was waiting for her to laugh or crack a joke or something, but it never came. Instead, she put her hand on his and held it tightly.

'It's okay to be afraid. But everything's going to be fine. Don't worry,' she spoke softly making him feel safe for some reason. He nodded his head in thanks still not looking her in the eye.

The flight attendant's voice over the intercom broke their little bubble. Addison took away her hand quickly and Alex looked away at the front of the aisle.

'Welcome to flight A30-K50 to the Bahamas. It is currently 8:55am; skies are sunny and cloudless. We should be arriving at destination at noon, local time,' the flight attendant said in a monotone voice. When she continued however, she sounded much more interested: 'I have a special message for the staff of Seattle Grace hospital.' The ten Doctors looked up at her expectantly. 'You must remain seated with the person assigned to you, which means no trading. There are already hotel rooms booked at the hotel. You will be two people in one room. I think that's all…Oh no, wait. The person you're sitting next to will be your roommate. Yes, that's all. Have a nice flight,' she finished, smiling at the horror written across each and every one of them' faces.

At that moment, each person looked to the one beside them trying, but failing miserably, to hide the horror they felt at the prospect of being in a hotel room with the other for a week.


	4. So Far Away

_Chapter 4-So Far Away_

The tension in the air was overwhelming. The airplane was completely silent. None of them knew what to say. What could they say really? Obviously the Chief had been serious about working out their problems because in their current situation, they would most likely be forced to get along. They would really have to make an effort; otherwise, this week would be total hell.

Addison smiled uncomfortably at Alex, trying not to show how incredibly nervous all of this made. She didn't want things to be awkward with him during the trip, but now, she couldn't see that not happening. It was bad enough that she turned into a pile of jelly every time she saw him, but now, she was going to be in a hotel room with him for seven days, seven nights. It amazed her how he could easily take away all of her self-control by just looking at her. She would seriously have to work on that. Although she didn't actually see when she'd have the time to do that seeing as she was sitting next to her right now and she wanted nothing more than to just lean over and kiss him.

Alex smiled back, trying to mimic her expression as best as he could, but realizing he probably just looked like he really had to go to the bathroom, he stopped. He had an entirely different take on this new and interesting twist. He knew he should feel weird. He knew everyone else was feeling weird. But he just couldn't feel weird. In fact, he felt insanely happy at this moment.

Over the last few months, he had grown to really like Addison. He thought she was breathtaking in every way. Even with them butting heads every once in a while, he found she was the closest thing to perfect he'd ever seen. Sure, he had said he wasn't interested, but he had lied. He had lied to protect himself. He could tell she was going to say that it had been another weird week and he refused to take that. He knew she wanted him, but she didn't want to admit it. And so, he had lied. Honestly, he had said it more for himself than for her. He thought that if he convinced her that he wasn't interested, maybe he could convince himself, and maybe that dull aching feeling in his heart would go away.

But it hadn't. And for some reason, he wasn't sure he wanted it to anymore. Sure, it hurt when she would push him away. But on those rare occasions she would let him in, and talk to him like they were great friends, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

And so now, looking at her, knowing that he would be sharing a room with her for an entire week, he couldn't feel weird or awkward at all. He could only feel deliriously happy and oh so lucky. He would have to remember to thank the Chief for this.

Recovering from the initial shock of the flight attendant's announcement, Izzie took in a deep breath. She could not believe this was happening to her. Not only did she have to sit with _Callie_, but she had to share a room with her too now?! Seriously. This sucked.

Callie's mouth was tight. She could have yelled. She really could have. Yet she didn't because she knew Izzie would just have looked at her like she was insane. She cursed Izzie Stevens for being able to make her feel stupid. She was Calliope Tores O'Malley, and she smashed bones for a living. Why was this blonde intern able to make her feel completely incompetent? She decided it wouldn't be that way anymore. She was going to take charge, because she could.

They looked at each other, both seeming to want to say something. However, they didn't. They knew that if they started talking, they would break out into another argument, and right now, there was nowhere to turn to if things got to heated. And so they decided, wordlessly, that they would save this for later.

Derek's face was contorted in anger. He wanted so much to go yell at the little perky flight attendant, but he knew it wasn't her fault. It was Richard's. Or maybe it wasn't. No, really, it was _Mark's_. It seemed that all of his life problems revolved around _Mark_.

He knew Mark was looking at him right now, but he just couldn't look back up. He knew Mark to well and he could only imagine the smirk that was on his face right now. He probably thought it was _hilarious_ that they'd be in a small space together for an entire week. Derek tried to calm himself by thinking of Meredith. He'd just sleep in that room and spend the rest of his time with Meredith. Maybe things would be okay. Maybe he could strangle Mark in his sleep…

Mark could not believe that he and Derek would be roommates, just like old times. It made him feel a little emotional, not that he'd ever admit it. He loved to taunt Derek just to see the reaction he'd get, but it was always just a joke. He wasn't a softy. No. He was an ass. But he wasn't a total ass like everyone made him out to be. He cared about Derek, a lot. He just didn't know how to show him anymore. Every time he made an attempt at sincerity, Derek would push him further away. It killed him to not have his best friend anymore. So he decided that if he made fun of him, at least he could still talk to him, see him, and that was better than not seeing him at all.

However, Mark couldn't bring himself to be an ass right now. He watched Derek try and regain his composure. He felt bad. He felt bad that Derek was going to have to share a room with him because he knew he didn't want to. Mark didn't mind. He was kind of looking forward to it. But it was painfully obvious that Derek was not excited at the prospect of all this. He stared at him with understanding, now that Derek was looking back at him, but it made him feel like they were best friends again. It reminded him of those times Derek would be upset, and Mark would just be there for him.

'I'm sorry,' Mark said very quietly. It was barely a whisper but Derek heard it. He was slightly confused, but then he got it. He and Mark had been best friends for a long time, and Mark knew him oh so well. He sighed and nodded still avoiding eye contact. Maybe Mark wasn't so horrible after all.

Cristina could have slapped someone. She was grateful the Chief wasn't there right now, because had he been, she would have been yelling things that would surely have gotten her fired. She was going to be rooming with Bambi. George, whatever. It's not that she and George were arch enemies or something. No. It's just that George was whiny and annoying and he got on her nerves. Plus, things had been a bit uneasy between them since the whole thing with Burke's hand and George's dad. But Cristina had put that behind her. The question was: had George? And even if he did, Cristina could clearly remember when he had lived with she and Burke, and she did not want to go back there.

George looked up asking why. Why would someone do this to him? He had tried many times to be close to Cristina but it just didn't work. The only person who could get really close to her was Meredith…oh and Burke. But Cristina didn't like George. She didn't even try and hide the fact that she didn't like him. In fact, she made it obvious by telling him straight out, like she had done earlier. He tried not to show that it bothered him but it did. It hurt him when she'd bluntly tell him that he annoyed her. He was still sore about the whole thing with Burke. Yet she seemed to have completely gotten over it and that made him mad. How could she just go on with him like nothing had gone on? Something had happened and her ignorance bothered him. Thinking about it now, he didn't like her very much. She annoyed him.

'I'm not happy about this either you know,' he said suddenly. She was surprised.

'What are you talking about, Bambi?' she replied tiredly.

'You're not easy to live with either.' His voice was getting stronger and more confident.

'Whatever,' she said confused and she turned away, putting earphones in her ears to shut him out.

George also turned away, fuming. He had finally worked up the courage to tell her off and call her on her crap and she turned away. Classic Cristina. She was always running away from her problems. He'd have to tell her that too. But later.

Preston Burke cleared his throat a little. He was definitely not expecting this one. It's not that he didn't like Meredith. She was Cristina's best friend after all, they would probably get along. Probably. But they did not know each other very well which would make sharing a hotel room quite bizarre. But there was something else bothering him about all of this. Meredith was…Ah, no. He was just being silly. He had no reason to complain. No reason at all.

Meredith forced a smile as she looked at Burke. They talked sometimes, but not much. If it weren't for Cristina, they probably wouldn't talk at all, except maybe for medical related issues. She didn't mind him, but he was always so calm. How was it possible for someone to never freak out? He was also a little intimidating. It was going to be really strange to sleep in a bed next to his. She felt like she couldn't quite be herself with him.

'Looks like we were the lucky ones,' she said nervously.

'Yes. I guess we are,' he responded a little uneasily. She definitely noticed.

'Is something wrong Dr. Burke?' she asked.

'Please, Preston. And no, nothing is wrong,' he answered calmly.

'Okay, Preston,' she replied. She dropped it. But she knew there was something more to this. She couldn't help but like something was wrong. However, she had no idea what. Was it her? She sure hoped not, because if it was, it would be even more awkward in their hotel room.

The airplane started rolling down the track and soon, they were off. There was no turning back now. If any of them had thought about running away, it was too late now. Their destination was only a few hours away. Their goal, however, that of solving their problems, was still so far away.


	5. Welcome

_Chapter 5-Welcome_

They had only been flying for an hour and it was killing them. There was absolutely nothing interesting to do on an airplane. They were surgeons. They spent their days cutting people open, stitching people up, saving lives, and this, sitting on an aircraft watching clouds go by, was boring.

Alex looked up lazily at the tiny screen that was up in front of him. If they had at least been showing a good action movie it wouldn't have been that bad, but no. He was forced to watch _The Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood_, which had to be the worst mother-daughter chick flick kind of movie he had ever seen. He didn't want to be watching it but he really didn't have a choice. It was either this or the drunken man in the row next to him. He decided that Sandra Bullock was a more pleasant sight than him. That's how he ended up watching this movie.

He couldn't complain much though. Beside him, was the incredibly beautiful, talented Addison Forbes-Montgomery. They hadn't talked much. Alex felt like they should have been talking, but he couldn't think of an interesting conversation topic. So he just looked towards her once in a while and smiled. She would always smile back and it made him feel good to know the he, Alex Karev, could make her smile. To tell the truth, he would much rather have been looking at her than watching this movie. But it would most likely freak her out if he randomly started starring at her. So he opted for the movie, trying to look interested, hoping she wouldn't see that his mind was elsewhere. If she did, she might ask him what he was thinking about, and he didn't want to lie to her again, but he couldn't really tell her he was thinking about how he was looking forward to seeing her in a bikini.

Addison was trying to keep herself in check. She kept throwing nervous glances in Alex's direction. She could tell he wasn't really watching the movie, but she didn't dare ask him what he was really thinking about. She was a bit afraid of what he would answer. And so she also decided to try and focus on the movie. She really loved this one, it was one of her favorites, but she couldn't get into it this time. Her mind was too occupied, thinking about other movies, where people would go at it in airplane washrooms. She wondered if you could actually do that in real life and had then sudden urge to invite him to try. She didn't though. It would be entirely inappropriate. Although, why would Richard pair them up together if he didn't want them to just get to it? She could just get up to go to the bathroom and motion for him to follow and then he would-stop. She was mentally kicking herself for letting that train of thought go that far.

She looked at the screen again, and she suddenly felt a bit sleepy. She hadn't slept much the night before, as she was freaking out about this whole trip. She wasn't tired this morning though, or least she thought she wasn't. But suddenly, it caught up with her and she found herself drifting into a peaceful slumber.

Alex noticed as her head slowly rolled over to the side of the window. She was asleep, and Alex thought she looked wonderfully beautiful at this moment. She seemed serene, which is more than he can say about her most of the time. Her brows furrowed for a moment and he smiled to himself, finding this very cute. He was glad she was sleeping, because it gave him the opportunity to just stare at her. He was sure she was dreaming, because once in a while she would sigh, or look confused or almost smile. He hoped she was happy in her dream. He had witnessed all of the craziness in her life take place and he wanted her to be happy. Well, what he really wanted was to be the one to make her happy, but right now, he would settle for her just being content with her life.

She stirred a little in her sleep and he thought she was waking up. He freaked out for he didn't want her to catch him starring, almost drooling, at her. He turned back in his seat, towards the screen. He was expecting her to be awake, and so he was surprised to discover that she hadn't woken up, but simply changed position. This new position, conveniently enough for him, consisted of leaning on his shoulder. She was pressed up against his side, with her head resting comfortably on his shoulder. She sighed in her sleep and grabbed his arm. She squeezed it like a teddy bear and returned to her dreams.

Alex let out a shaky breath. He was sure she had awoken and seen him starring at her. He was glad though, that she had decided she wasn't comfortable on her other side anymore. He turned his head towards hers and smelled her hair. She smelled like roses. She was intoxicating. He rested his head on the top of hers and felt like nothing else mattered at that moment. He didn't even notice himself starting to fall into his own dreamland…

Mark suddenly felt the need to pee. He got up from his seat, making sure not to wake Derek. He passed George and Cristina, who were completely turned away from each other. He rolled his eyes; interns. He also passed Burke and Meredith, who were also sleeping. He then reached Izzie and Callie's seat. Callie was sleeping soundly, listening to music, but Izzie was awake, reading a magazine. He stared at her a little too long and she noticed.

'Can I help you with something, _Mark_?' she looked up from her magazine.

'Can't sleep without a big comfy, bouncy bed, Stevens?' he whispered back. He smiled charmingly. She didn't return the smile.

'No,' she said simply. With that, she returned to her magazine, completely shutting him down

Ouch. That had been harsh. She had hardly given him a glance. Mark ignored the stinging feeling he had and continued down the aisle to the bathroom. He stopped short however, when he saw Karev and Addison. They were leaning into each other, both smiling in their sleep. Thank God there was a bathroom two feet away because he suddenly felt the urge to vomit. He tried coughing a bit to wake them up discreetly but they wouldn't budge. He gave up and went to the bathroom. He washed his hands and splashed a little water on his face.

Pull yourself together Mark, he thought to himself. He couldn't let this bother him. Addison had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't buy it though. He couldn't, especially because she melted every time he touched her. But still, she denied them. It pissed him off. How could she even be remotely interested in _Karev_? He was a lowly intern and she was…she was just great. He had to get over her. He then thought back to Stevens. He liked that fire in her. He liked how defiant she was. He liked that she was a challenge.

He walked out of the bathroom and avoided looking at Addison as he walked by. He passed by Izzie and tried to ignore her too but he couldn't. He looked back at her, and she looked up to meet his gaze. He smiled his best McSteamy smile and dropped in his seat hoping it would have some affect on Stevens. She had tried to brush off the smile but she couldn't quite do it. It made her feel special to have someone look at her that way. It kind of reminded her of the way Denny made her feel. But then she laughed at how insane that sounded. Denny and Mark were not the same in any way. She shook her head and continued her reading.

Mark turned to see that Derek was now awake.

'Oh sorry, did I wake you?' he asked as Derek wiped his eyes.

'Yes,' Derek answered gruffly.

'Sorry…' he debated on whether to tell Derek about Karev and Addison. 'Karev and Addison are getting pretty friendly in the back.'

'What?' Derek was suddenly fully alert.

'They're sleeping with their heads on each other. They looked pretty cozy,' he explained. It felt comforting to him to see that Derek was feeling the same way that he had when he had seen them.

'That little punk,' Derek said, his temper rising. His fists were clenched. Mark couldn't help but raise a brown at this.

'I know that you'll always care about Addison. So will I. But why do you care so much?' he asked carefully. He didn't want Derek to freak out on him.

Derek looked like he was furious for a second, but then his expression turned to one of resignation. His shoulders slumped slightly and he looked up at Mark. 'She was my wife, my best friend. I thought she was the love of my life. Although we're not together anymore, I still feel like I have a certain claim on her. I know I don't, but it just feels that way.' Mark was so surprised at his confession; he didn't know how to react. Finally, he put a hand on Derek's shoulder and gave him a look of understanding.

'I know. I get it.'

Addison woke up after a great dream. The thought of it made her blush slightly. She then realized that her head was positioned on Alex's shoulder and that his own was resting on hers. It made her smile for a second until she remembered that she wasn't alone in the plane. She hoped that no one had seen them. Not that it was really her fault that she had ended up that way. People do things in their sleep without intending to. She tried to maneuver herself out of the position without waking him but she failed. He awoke abruptly and looked around in panicked.

'What's going on?' he asked nervously.

'Nothing. Everything's fine. Sorry I woke you,' she started quietly, 'but I have to pee.' It sounded so stupid, but it was true.

Alex smiled. Those words sounded so silly coming from her mouth. He got up to let her pass and their bodies brushed together softly. She looked up into his eyes and froze. They seemed to stay there for an eternity, although it was only a few seconds. She blushed and continued making her way to the bathroom. Alex took his seat once more and looked at his watch. Wow, they had slept quite a while. They should be landing pretty soon.

All of a sudden the seatbelt sign came on. Alex heard the captain's voice over the intercom announcing they were starting their descent towards the Bahamas. Addison washed her hands and exited the tiny cubicle they called a washroom. Alex got up once more to let her pass but at that moment they hit a little bit of turbulence and Addison was sent crashing into Alex. He instinctively grabbed her to keep her falling over and couldn't believe how right it felt to hold her. Addison also took hold of him on impulse but let go as she could see Derek and Mark from where she was.

'Sorry,' she muttered and took her seat once more while fastening her seatbelt.

'It's fine,' he said softly also taking his seat.

The plane began swooping downwards towards the airport and Alex felt like he was gong to be sick. He wasn't proud of the fact he was afraid of flying but there it was, and he couldn't deny it. His eyes were shut tight in an attempt to shut out the world around and go to his happy place. However, he couldn't get there as the fear of plummeting to his doom made his stomach drop repeatedly. His knuckles were white from holding on to the arm rests so hard. But then, he felt soft skin against his own. He opened his eyes to see Addison's hand on his, rubbing it soothingly. He looked up at her and she was smiling reassuringly at him. Her eyes told him everything was going to be okay. He nodded to himself and took in a deep breath.

The plane landed with a loud thud. It was over. That was it. Alex breathed a sigh of relief and laughed slightly. That wasn't so bad. He was a big baby for being afraid of flying and now he felt incredibly stupid that he had freaked out in front of Addison. She didn't seem to care though. He hoped to hell she wasn't going to tell everyone about this, because they would have a laughing fit. He would never hear the end of it. But for some reason he wasn't really worried. He didn't think Addison would do that to him.

The intercom was back on and the plane was filled with the little voice of the flight attendant: 'Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Bahamas.'


	6. Room 1599

_Chapter 6-Room 1599_

The doctors of Seattle Grace were more than willing to exit the plane when it landed. They practically ran over passengers that stood in their way. All they wanted was to be as far as possible to the person they had sat with during the flight. This was the case for everyone, except Addison and Alex.

They waited until everyone else had left the plane, taking their time as they took their carryon luggage out of the overhead compartment. There was no need to talk. They were relishing in comfortable silence. They were reluctant to leave the little bubble of intimacy they had formed during the voyage. It was going to be a crazy week and as soon as they joined the others, the chaos would begin. Alas, they had no choice. They others were definitely going to get suspicious if they took to much time in leaving the plane.

They made their way to the group of impatient people waiting for them. Addison noticed that everyone had returned to their original crowd. Cristina was chatting away with Meredith, complaining no doubt. Callie and George were whispering something to each other and giggling. Mark was flirting shamelessly with Izzie, who was doing a fabulous job of ignoring him, although Addison could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile adorn her face. Izzie had then turned away from Mark to start a conversation with Preston. Derek was looking right at her and he didn't look very happy. She and Alex walked towards them casually.

'What took you so long?' Derek asked Addison harshly. She was momentarily stunned.

'Unlike the rest of you, we didn't run out like a herd of wild animals,' she responded calmly, meeting his steely gaze with one of her own.

'Well, we're a group here. You can't just take you sweet time doing whatever you want to. Take the rest of us into consideration next time.' He turned away and went to Meredith. Addison couldn't help but be confused. She and Derek had been getting along lately. Well, they had been civilized with each other. There was still some work to be done. She pushed it aside. They had plenty of time to deal with this. This was why they were here, right?

They went to baggage claim and got their things. As they were leaving the airport, they came across a man in a suit holding up a sign that read: 'Seattle Grace staff.' Burke took charge to see him. He and the man talked for a minute or so before he came back to the group, smiling.

'Richard has arranged for us to have transportation anywhere, anytime,' he started. 'This man,' he indicated the man, 'will be our driver for the next week,' he finished.

They all nodded or waved to the driver and picked up their luggage. As they walked through the sliding glass doors, they saw a beautiful black stretch-limo parked in front.

'Is that…ours?' Izzie asked excited.

'It certainly is,' came the driver's voice, 'My name is Maxwell. Hop in.' He smiled at the group and went to take his seat in the limousine.

They put their suitcases in the back and entered the car. It had everything you could possibly need in it. They took their seats not even noticing who was next to them. They were too much in awe at their surroundings.

'Anyone want a drink?' called Mark from the bottom. He was sitting next to the mini-fridge. 'We have wine, red or white, champagne, vodka, whisky, scotch, coolers and just about anything else you could possibly think of.'

'Ooo! Are there any strawberry coolers?' Izzie asked smiling widely. Mark handed her a bottle filled with pink tinted liquid. He made sure that his hand brushed against hers.

'Anyone else?' he asked happily.

'God yes. I was afraid Chief was going to make us cut alcohol so we can deal with our problems rationally. Just give me something strong,' Cristina requested with an evil glint in her eye.

'How about we don't get drunk just yet? We all know that we've been known to do very stupid things when we get drunk,' Addison put in looking around to all of them.

'She's right. Do we really need any more controversies to deal with?' Alex agreed. He smiled slightly at Addison, almost imperceptibly, but Izzie noticed.

'What's with you, Alex?' She eyed him suspiciously. 'Since when do you say no to booze?'

'Since he's trying to get into someone's pants.' Cristina said, laughing while taking a sip of her drink.

'What? Whose pants is he trying to get into?' Izzie asked curiously and a little too quickly for someone who was apparently not interested in him.

'Isn't it obvious? He's had the biggest thing for-' she started, but she was cut off by Burke.

'Cristina. This is none of your business,' he said calmly but Cristina could tell her was very much serious right now.

'Whatever. You got lucky this time, Evil Spawn,' she looked away bitterly, mad that she hadn't gotten to rat him out in front of everyone.

'I still want to know though. Alex?' Izzie asked eager. He didn't respond, however, choosing instead to look at his feet.

Mark, who was _coincidently _sitting next to Izzie, leaned down towards her ear and whispered seductively: 'Take a walk with me tonight and I'll tell you.'

'What are you trying to say Dr. Sloan?' she questioned him warily.

'Mark. And I'm offering you information in exchange for your company tonight.'

'Well, _Mark_,' she said his name coldly and it gave him shivers, 'I can probably obtain that information in a less painful way,' she finished offering him a smirk.

'What exactly are you insinuating Izzie?' he asked, thoroughly enjoying the fire in her eyes.

'I'm saying no,_ Mark_. I'm saying that the thought of being alone with you for more than two minutes makes me more than a little sick,' she said rolling her eyes.

'Ouch. That was more than a little rude. I am hurt. I truly am,' he said with a look of mock hurt on his face.

'Good. That's what I was going for,' she replied smiling devilishly. The truth was Izzie was enjoying this. She was turning him down, but they were so obviously flirting with each other. She was having fun with Mark, not that she was going to admit it or anything.

Alex was glad that Sloan had distracted Izzie because he couldn't stand her scrutinizing stare. He knew that if she looked at him too long that he would give in and tell her. But he didn't really want to tell her until he told Addison. Which he wasn't sure he was going to do. He wanted to, oh yes, he wanted to very much, so that they could finally give in to all the sexual tension that surrounded them. So that he could stare at her too long if he wanted to. So that he could open his eyes in the morning and see her face instead of the other side of the bed. He wasn't quite sure how to bring up the subject. It's not like he could really just go up to her and tell her straight out: 'I have feelings for you.' Or could he? Well it didn't matter anymore. They were on this trip and he was going to be in the same hotel room as her. He would probably have plenty of opportunities to tell her. Although it would be smarter to do it sooner than later, so that, if she did return his feelings, which he was pretty sure she did, they could really make use of their shared hotel room.

The driver pulled up at the hotel they would be staying in. They exited the limo and took out their luggage, gasping at how beautiful it was here. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There were palm trees on either side of the road leading to their hotel which was equally breathtaking. They walked down the path and into the beautifully decorated lobby. There was large fountain in the shape of a dolphin in the center of the lobby. They walked past it to the front desk where they were greeted by a woman with a very large grin plastered on her face.

'Welcome to the Atlantis Resort. How may I help you?'

Cristina pushed through everyone to get to the front. 'We're from Seattle Grace. I believe we have a reservation,' she said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. She just hated those peppy people who smiled all the time.

'Ah yes. I have five rooms booked. May I have your names?' she asked still smiling but her eyes were cold. She didn't appreciate Cristina's attitude.

'Cristina Yang, oh and Bambi over there.'

'My name is George!' he said it a little louder than he had intended it to be. Everyone one turned to look at him. 'George O'Malley,' he finished in a tiny voice. The receptionist nodded looking afraid.

'Thank you,' she said uncertainly, 'Room 1589. Next?'

Derek walked through the crowd. 'Derek Shepherd…and Mark Sloan.' Everyone snickered a little behind him. He glared at them over his shoulder, which only made them laugh even more. He gave up trying to shut them up and took the key to room 1593. He forced a smile and he left with Mark following behind him. Cristina and George also left. They all looked miserable as the elevators shut in front of them.

'Who's next?' the woman continued in the little voice of hers.

'Preston Burke and Meredith Grey,' Burke announced to the woman.

'Sure thing. Room 1585. Please enjoy your stay,' she said smiling and batting her eyelashes at him. He and Meredith left laughing slightly at the woman.

Both Izzie and Callie walked to the desk and started talking at the same time. They glared at each other for a second. Then, Callie backed up a little and let Izzie get their key. They left, making their way to the elevator bickering. Addison couldn't help but laugh as she heard Callie say: 'I call first dibs on a bed.'

Alex walked up to the woman and said: 'Addison Montgomery and Alex Karev.'

The woman typed a few things on the computer and frowned. She tried again and her frown grew. She looked up at them guiltily.

'Do you need two beds?' she asked slowly.

'What do you mean exactly?' Addison asked narrowing her eyes at the woman.

'You see…the thing is…I…um…'

'Just spit it out will you!' Alex exclaimed.

'We just ran out of rooms with two beds…we're almost completely booked and-' She was rambling until Alex cut her off.

'Are you telling us that we don't have a room?' His temper was rising and the young woman looked terrified.

'Um, not exactly. We do have another room…' She trailed off.

'I don't see where the problem is then,' Addison said. She was confused.

'The problem is…that all we have left…is the Honeymoon Suite,' she finished nervously as she saw the horror on both doctors faces.

'And you're sure you have no other rooms?' Alex asked. He was freaking out. It's not that he really minded having to share a bed with Addison but he didn't want her to feel completely uncomfortable.

'It's okay,' Addison said next to him. He turned to her and searched her eyes. There was no hesitation in them.

'Are you sure? I mean, I can try and find us another room…'

'It's okay,' she repeated. 'We're adults. I don't have a problem with this. Do you?'

'No. No. Not at all. It's just that-' he answered quickly.

'Afraid of getting coodies Karev?' she teased.

'No,' he said smiling and turned back to the woman. 'We'll take it.'

The woman handed them the key to their room. They were in room 1599. They would have to make sure that no one came in their room because if they did, they would freak out. They would start making a whole bunch of assumptions about them which they did not want at all. It's not like they had planned for this to happen. It just did. It really wasn't their fault. What were they supposed to do? Tell the woman to kick out the people that were in their room? Besides, they were getting a suite that was probably way more expensive than the room they were supposed to get, at no extra charge. And it would probably be a king sized bed so they wouldn't be stuck together or anything, not that that would be so horrible.

Alex was freaking out internally. This was getting crazier every second. She was his boss. She was his very hot boss. But his boss nevertheless. He was not only sharing a room, but now, a bed, with his very hot boss. All he could think about right now was how lucky he was that it was Addison he was in a room with. He couldn't even begin to think of how awful it would have been if he were in this situation with Shepherd, or Sloan, or Burke. He shivered slightly at the thought.

Addison had the biggest butterflies in her stomach. She could hardly keep herself together when he was five feet away. How was she going to maintain control while sleeping next to him? What if she accidentally touched him during the night? That would make things incredibly awkward. What if she purposely touched him during the night? Stop it, she told herself, you're being silly. They were sharing a bed because they had to, not because they wanted to. Or did they? She knew she did? Although she really shouldn't.

'Are you sure you're okay with this?' Alex asked Addison, shaking her from her thoughts.

She smiled shyly. 'Yeah, it's fine.'

With that, they entered the elevator pushed the button the 15th floor where their Honeymoon Suite awaited.


	7. Paranoid?

I'm really sorry that it's taken longer to update than usual!! I've been sick, and busy! I'm sorry!! Please forgive me! Thank you so much for the reviews on the previous chapter!

_Chapter 7-Paranoid?_

The elevator door slid open and they walked out. The ride up to the 15th floor had been long and silent, as both of them contemplated what was going to happen next. Alex looked down the hall; it was the longest he had ever seen in his life. He guessed that their room, being 1599, was the last one at the other end. He started walking, with Addison at his side.

Half-way through to their room, they ran into Callie, who seemed in a hurry to leave. She hadn't even noticed them as she was dashing through the hall. Addison grabbed her arm to stop her.

'Callie, what's going on?' she asked, somewhat concerned due to her weird behavior.

'Oh hey! Hadn't even seen you there! Everyone's decided to take a nap before meeting downstairs for dinner,' she stated.

'Ok, so where then, are you going off to in such a hurry?' she said slowly.

'Stevens hates me. And I'm not going to be in a room with her any longer that I have to. I'm heading to the bar. I'm in serious need of alcohol right now. Care to join me?'

'Um, thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to try and sleep a little too,' she smiled slightly. 'Take an easy on the drinks okay?' she added softly.

'Oh don't worry. I just need to relax a bit. See you at diner?' she smiled back.

'Yeah, sure.'

Callie ran the remainder of the hall into the elevator and disappeared behind the doors. Addison and Alex exchanged amused glances. They finally made to their room, which seemed to be at the other end of the universe, and put in the key. Alex opened the door and bowed slightly inviting her in.

'Ladies first.' It made her smile, which in turn made him smile.

She walked in the room, Alex closely behind. She gasped softly at the sight. It was beautiful…not to mention enormous. In the left corner was a little kitchen area with a tiny stove and a little fridge. On their right side, right at the entrance, was the door to a huge bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub big enough to fit five. Everything, from the taps to the toilet, was golden. There was a small living area with two comfortable looking chairs and a pink loveseat. But the main attraction of the room was a very large heart-shaped bed, covered in smaller heart-shaped pillows. This was without a doubt, the Honeymoon Suite.

Addison smiled a little but soon felt her eyes prickle with tears. She tried to hold them back but only half succeeded. One tear rolled down her cheek solemnly. She tried to turn away a little from Alex so he wouldn't see. She didn't want to ruin this trip by being all sentimental. Alex noticed however, and his face immediately grew worried.

'Addison, what's wrong?' he asked concerned. She laughed bitterly and the rest of her tears fell.

'Nothing, it's really nothing. Only, it's something. It's a little something but it's really big to me and I hate that it's something to me because really it should be nothing.' She was rambling and Alex looked increasingly confused.

'Addison. Breathe. What is it?' he asked gently placing himself right in front of her. She was avoiding his eyes.

Addison let out a shaky breath and finally built up the courage to look up. She laughed again, which only worried Alex more.

'I'm not crazy. Don't worry. It's just…This room. It's perfect. It's beautiful. It…it looks a lot like the room Derek and I shared on our honeymoon. It just brings back memories and I don't know…it just…hurts.' She finished and looked down again because the tenderness in Alex's eyes scared her.

'Addison. It's okay. I can go down and ask them for another room and-'

'No,' she said quickly, 'I mean, thank you. But it's fine. I'm just emotional I guess. Women, you know.' She smiled forcefully.

'It's okay to be emotional.'

'Thank you.'

Alex looked at her and couldn't help noticing how much she looked like a lost child at this very moment. Her cheeks were a light rosy color from crying and Alex wanted to take it all away. Take away the pain, the tears, the emptiness. He slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly. She seemed shocked for a second but then wrapped her arms around his waist, melting into him. He sighed while smelling her shampoo again. She let go a minute later and he wanted nothing more than to hold her back. He wanted to have her stay in his arms forever. He let go reluctantly knowing that this was more of a friendly hug as opposed to a romantic one.

Addison sniffled a little a looked up at him smiling. She had felt horrible about breaking down in front of Alex a second before but as soon as he had wrapped his arms around her, she had forgotten everything except his touch. The warmth that had spread through her body was almost too much. She felt an overwhelming sensation in her heart but knew she had to let go. He had hugged her to comfort her. That was it. Or at least that's what she told herself. It was easier that way than to think he had done it for other reasons. Because if she started to think about other reasons, she would get her hopes up, and she didn't want to get her hopes up until she had concrete proof that there could be something between them.

'Thanks. I…needed that,' she said quietly. He simply nodded.

With that, they turned away in opposite directions, trying to cut the tension that was in the air. Alex went to the bathroom. He stayed longer than he regularly would have, distracted by the beauty of it all. He had never been in such a glorious bathroom. He hadn't been a rich kid and he wasn't a rich adult. He stayed in a little apartment that had only the necessary. This was insane. This bathroom was the bigger than his kitchen. Suddenly, he realized that Addison would probably be wondering what on earth was taking him so long in the bathroom.

He reentered the room expecting to see her unpacking but instead, he saw that she had fallen asleep on the heart-shaped bed. He smiled to himself as he admired her beauty. Wow. This was really happening. He was sharing a room with Addison Montgomery. He slowly took off her heels. How she walked in those things all day, he couldn't imagine. He found an extra blanket in the enormous walk-in-closet and gently placed it upon her so she wouldn't be cold. He lay down next to her, but not too close. He didn't want her to wake up and freak out. Like that time he fell asleep drunk in college at a party, and woke up with a girl very close to him. He had panicked thinking they had slept together only to find out that she too had passed out next to him. His mind wandered back to his college days as he slowly fell asleep next to the redheaded beauty.

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A few doors down the hall, Cristina and George were already bickering about something. Thank God the walls had been well insulated; otherwise, others would have heard the insane things the two were yelling at each other. George thought that maybe it wasn't such a good thing that they couldn't be heard, because if Cristina was to murder him right now, no one would hear his screams.

'I want this bed!' she yelled pointing to the on the left.

'Why do you get to pick first?' he yelled back with the same force.

'Fine. You want to be a baby George? Be a baby! Pick!' she said in a baby voice, pouting a little to reinforce her point.

'Thank you! I want the one on the right,' he said strongly. Cristina almost looked like her head was going to pop.

'Why were you arguing with me then!? You didn't even want the bed I chose!' she was furious. The anger in her eyes was evident.

'To prove a point!' he answered, faltering under her piercing glare.

'You know what? I'm not even going to say anything. Try not to make noise while I sleep.' She turned around and collapsed on her bed.

George was seething. He could have strangled her. He was suddenly glad that the walls were thick, because if someone was going to be murdered, it would be her. He whipped around and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him to make noise. He stomped his way down the hall trying to calm down. He disappeared behind the elevator doors.

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Izzie awoke at the sound of stomping. She jumped up and ran to the door, opening it. She looked up and down the hall for the source of the racket but it was gone. She was about to return to her room when she heard another door opening a few feet away. She turned her head to see none other than Mark Sloan in the same position as her, trying to locate what had produced to infernal noise he had heard minutes before.

'What was that?' he asked seeming in a daze. Izzie could tell it had woken him also because his hair was ruffled and his eyes were bloodshot. He didn't look quite so polished anymore.

'I don't know,' she replied truthfully. 'It woke me up thought.'

'Yeah, me too. But not Derek. The guy can sleep through earthquakes,' he said smiling a little.

'Yeah,' she laughed a little, 'Anyways, I think I'll go enjoy my time alone before dinner.'

'Wait, where's Callie?' he asked curiously and she could she a glint in his eye.

'She's gone somewhere else. I don't know where…It's not like I care,' she said indifferently.

'So you're all alone in that room with no one to keep you company?' he asked grinning devilishly.

'No. I seduced one of the hotel guys. He's waiting for me in the tub. I have to go. I don't want to keep him waiting.' She gave him her own grin and turned back into her room swinging her hips seductively. He laughed and shook his head, but then he stopped. What if she was serious? No, she couldn't be serious. Could she? He turned back into his room wondering how Izzie Stevens had gotten him all worked up.

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Callie took another sip of her drink. Earlier this morning, she had thought that this trip was a pretty good idea and that it was good that they were going to sort of things between each other. Now however, she would rather have all her bones broken, and doing what she did, she knew how much it hurt being, than have to sort things out with Isobel Stevens. She was just about to go looking for George when he came up behind her muttering incoherently.

'George, what's wrong?' she asked concerned about her husband.

'Cristina is a pain in the ass!' he yelled the last part making her jump a little.

'Stevens hates me,' she said as a response to his exclamation. They looked at each other understandingly. George beckoned the waiter to come over and he ordered another drink for Callie and one for himself.

'This sucks,' he mumbled.

'Yeah.'

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Addison opened her eyes quickly. She had been having a horrible nightmare in which her and her coworkers were on a trip to the Bahamas to work out their differ-wait. That was really happening. She turned over to her other side only to come face to face with Alex. She was confused. She didn't remember them going to sleep together. No. She had fallen asleep on the bed while he was in the bathroom. She looked down at herself and saw the blanket that covered her perfectly. She smiled at how sweet it was of him to have thought of her. He had even removed her shoes. They had been killing her all day. Why she had brought them here, she didn't know. She looked at her watch. 5:45. They were meeting downstairs for supper in fifteen minutes. She decided to touch up her makeup. Or maybe start over. She was pretty sure the crying had left her looking horrible.

Alex awoke a few minutes later at the sound of the toilet flushing. He looked around at the clock on the bedside table. They would have to get going soon to meet everyone for dinner.

Addison walked out of the bathroom and saw Alex standing there, looking lost. She smiled at him and he reciprocated.

'Ready to go?' she asked still smiling.

'Why wouldn't I be?' he responded lightly.

'I don't know why, but I get the feeling that Richard has something planned…I might just be paranoid. We'll see!' she said to which he nodded.

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Alex took the keys and Addison grabbed her purse. They left the hotel room and started walking towards the elevator. They had no idea that Addison was not being paranoid at all. Richard had indeed planned something.


	8. Picking out of a Hat

Hey guys! Sorry it takes me long to update. I'll try to get new chapters up faster! Thanks again for the reviews! Enjoy!!

_Chapter 8- Picking out of a Hat_

The ten doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital joined up in the beautiful hotel lobby. Most of them looked a little groggy due to the fact that they had just awoken from their nap. Only Callie and George looked happy but that was probably because they had already had their fair share of drinks. The others were still too sleepy to notice.

Derek made his way to Meredith and put his arms around her. She gazed up at him, smiling, as he gave her his best McDreamy look.

'I missed you,' she said softly.

'I missed you too,' he replied gently.

'Oh God. The two of you make me sick. You've been apart for 3 hours and you're already going all mushy-gushy on each other. Seriously.' Cristina gave them both a disgusted look and went to stand next to Burke.

Derek and Meredith smiled at each other again, brushing off Cristina's comment. Derek leaned down a placed a gentle kiss on Meredith's lips.

A few feet away, Mark was slowly making his way to Izzie's side. She was too busy glaring daggers at Callie and George to notice him. Unlike everyone else, she had definitely noticed that they had been drinking. They were much more _affectionate_ than usual and they were giggling incessantly. She was about to say something when she felt someone's breath close to her ear.

'I missed you too,' Mark said in a low voice, sending shivers down her spine.

Izzie refused to admit that could affect her. She suppressed a shiver and cocked an eyebrow at him. He was smirking and it made her mad. Well, if he thought he was going to get away with this, he was seriously mistaken.

'That's sad, because I didn't miss you at all. Me and Jonathan, you know the one I told you I seduced, we were having so much fun in the tub,' she paused to enjoy the look of jealousy that was etched on his perfect face. 'It was so hot-'

'Alright. I get it. No need to go into details,' he said bitterly, which made her laugh, and suddenly, he couldn't be bitter anymore. Her laugh had that effect on him. He laughed too and then they were laughing together. They broke out into a full hysteria. Everyone turned to look at them like they were insane, which put an end to the giggle fit. They looked away guiltily.

'What the hell was that?' Alex asked. The others all nodded in agreement to the question. They all looked slightly afraid.

'We're just…um…tired…' Izzie mumbled, her eyes avoided the group. 'So how about dinner!?'

-------------------------------------------------------

They had all dropped it and Izzie was thankful because honestly, she had no idea why she had broken out into laughter with Mark. However, she did know that it had felt so good to laugh with him. In those few moments, she had felt like she had known him all her life. It had felt so natural to her. But she pushed those thoughts out of mind, because after all, it was Mark Sloan.

The group of doctors made their way to the 5-Star restaurant in the hotel. Derek was holding Meredith by the waist and was whispering something into her ear that was making her giggle. Preston had his arm around Cristina's shoulder. George and Callie were still laughing between themselves, almost running into walls once in a while. Izzie and Alex were walking side by side talking about something making both of them laugh, with Addison and Mark behind them, both observing them intently.

Addison and Mark weren't talking to each other. They were too busy trying to figure out what Izzie and Alex were discussing. Addison felt a slight pang of jealousy while watching them. She knew they had gone out together before and she suspected that he still had some feelings for her. Not that it should really matter to her who the interns liked. It wasn't supposed to matter to her at all, but it did. She didn't want it to bother her, but it was hard to deny the way she felt about Alex Karev. She knew she didn't have any claim on him, because they weren't dating or anything. Although, she felt like if anyone they didn't know had seen them together today, they could easily have assumed that they were a couple. She looked away from them, as it was hurting her and she felt stupid feeling this way. She turned her attention to Mark, who she noticed was staring at Izzie the same way she had been staring at Alex seconds before.

'Mark,' she said firmly, trying to shake him from his thoughts.

He snapped out of his reverie and looked at her.

'What's wrong?' she asked him, although she had a pretty good idea already of the answer to that question.

'Nothing,' he replied calmly but he seemed to be boiling mad.

'Mark. Just tell me.' She and Mark had certainly had their ups and downs but they had been at one time, great friends.

'It's really nothing, Addison.' He actually looked a bit uncomfortable, which was very unusual for Mark Sloan.

She stayed silent for a moment, and he thought that she had dropped it. He sighed inwardly, grateful. He didn't want to admit his 'feelings' for Isobel Stevens to anyone, least of all Addison.

'So you've got the hots for Stevens?' It came out more as a statement than a question. He blushed furiously and glared at her for talking so loud. She smiled thinking she had him, but he was Mark Sloan, he wasn't letting her win that easily.

'So, do you still turn into a blubbering idiot every time Karev gets within a ten feet of you?' he asked her making her eyes widen in horror. They were having a silent battle, daring one another to say something more. They looked away resigned. They knew each other too well. They stared ahead once again. They heaved a sigh as the jealousy returned.

Luckily, they had just arrived at the restaurant and everyone was once again in a group instead of in pairs. Alex ended up next to Addison and Izzie with Mark, which made the latter two very happy.

Everyone looked down at the table and were quite shocked to discover that there was assigned seating. However, Richard had been nice and hadn't placed people by order of how much they hated each other. In fact, the seating arrangement was quite acceptable. The table was a long rectangle, having four seats on each side and two at the very ends. There were little name plates for them to know where they had to sit. On the left side of the table would be, Derek, Meredith, Cristina and Burke. At the first end was Addison. Next to her was Callie, followed by George, Alex, and Izzie ended the right side of the table. That left no one else than Mark at the other end, facing Addison.

They took their seats and Addison was a little disappointed that Alex was so far away from her. She felt the rush of jealousy return as she saw Izzie sit down next to Alex. But then she saw Mark take his seat at the other end, very close do Izzie, and she didn't feel so nervous anymore. For some reason, she was pretty sure that if Stevens got too close to Alex, he would do or say something to split them up, and that reassured her.

Meredith and Derek were pleased to see their names side by side, although Derek was a little mad that he would once again be this close to Mark. He brushed it off though, as his girlfriend was right next to him and he didn't have to look at him if he didn't want to. He could just keep looking at Meredith, and that was great.

Meredith was also glad that she was next to Derek, as she was kind of getting freaked out by _Preston_. He was a clean freak and it scared her a little. When they had arrived in their hotel room, he had immediately unpacked all of his things, down to his socks, into the hotel drawers. Sure, she was going to do that too, eventually. But not only had he done this, but he had taken everything out of his suitcase, all the neatly folded clothes, and he had unfolded them all, only to refold them five minutes later. She had pretended to go to the bathroom because she didn't want him to see the freaked out look on her face. She understood that he was neat, but wasn't this a bit extreme? And so, being next to Derek made her happy, because honestly, if she had come to the Bahamas for her own vacation, it would be with Derek, and they would be sharing a room with each other, and they would have a great room because they wouldn't be leaving it very often.

Cristina looked to both her sides and smiled, thanking the Chief for having pity on her this time. She had Meredith and Burke to keep her company. Although she still had Bambi across from her, but that wasn't so bad. Burke had his arm around her and all was good. She didn't have to deal with George's incessant whining and she had her _fiancé_, and her best friend with her.

Mark smiled to himself, thinking about how lucky he really was to be next to Izzie Stevens once more. Maybe the Chief could see the sparks that were so obviously flying between them every time they were together. Mark noticed that Karev was seated next to her and felt an overwhelming need to protect her from him, not that he really thought he would do something. But he wondered why Karev was all over Izzie when it was usually clear he wanted nothing more than to just grab Addison and take her right then and there.

Izzie sat between Alex, a man who she had dated, and Mark, a man who she would maybe date later on. No! Had she actually just thought that? Was Mark getting to her? Could it be that is arrogance and womanizing ways were a turn on to her? No way! She turned her head towards Alex in an attempt to make conversation with him. She wanted to busy herself so she wouldn't get distracted by Mark. However, Alex was not available for discussion. He wasn't talking to anyone else, but his eyes were glued to the beautiful redhead seated at the end of the table. The redhead in question was speaking with Callie and laughing softly. Izzie noticed that each time Addison smiled, Alex would also. It was then that she figured it out. When they had been in the limousine, Cristina had said he had a crush on someone, and she had been stupid enough not to get it. But it was clear now: Alex was falling for Addison.

'Alex?' she asked softly, trying not to make him jump. He turned to her slowly, reluctantly taking his eyes off of Addison.

'Yeah?' he replied distractedly.

'It's Addison, right?' she whispered, although she pretty much already knew the answer.

'What? Where would you get that idea?' he asked quickly. His face turned a delicate shade of pink and it made her smile.

'Wow. She's really got you head over heels!' she murmured, giggling at his facial expression.

'Izzie, please,' he said, trying to put to bravado back on, but it was too late.

'Alex. Seriously. You were looking at her just now, and your whole face lit up every single time she smiled. And now, thinking back, I've seen you just randomly staring at her once in a while, like almost slobbering, which is kind of gross, but very cute in a weird way,' she told him, smiling at his discomfort.

'Izzie, can we not talk about this?' he pleaded, his eyes desperate.

'Only if you admit it. Say it.'

'Okay fine! I'm falling in love with Addison!' he whispered angrily because she had made him admit his feelings. When he looked at her, she had her mouth slightly open in shock and her eyes were very round. 'What?' he asked her.

'I…um…I was…I was just thinking you'd tell me that you liked her…or that you thought she was hot or something. I was so not expecting the love part of that,' she stuttered still in shock.

'If you tell anyone-' he started his tone dangerously low.

'Don't worry. I…I won't.' She looked at him sincerely and he nodded in thanks. He turned away from her to resume watching Addison smile.

At the end of the table, Addison was talking with Callie and George, and laughing quite a bit as both of them were slightly drunk, which she found quite amusing. They couldn't finish one sentence without losing their train of thought or breaking out into to laughter, which in turn made her laugh. She could still feel someone's eyes on her, but she refused to look in the direction it was coming from. If she did, things would get awkward, and she really didn't mind him watching her. It made her feel special.

A man in his mid-40s, wearing an exquisite suit came to the table and stood at the corner, between Preston and Addison. He looked down at them smiling, a genuine smile, and cleared his throat to get their attention. They all looked up at him expectantly. They were silent, except for Callie and George who giggled once in a while.

'Hello and good evening. I am your host, Nigel, and I will be taking care of tonight's activities,' he said. They all raised an eyebrow, wondering what the _activities_ were. 'Dinner will be served shortly, however, Chief Webber has asked me to conduct an experiment with you all to release the tension in the air,' he finished.

'Experiment?' Derek asked his face full of confusion.

'Yes sir, an experiment. Half of you shall pick a name out of a hat to begin with. The other half has their names in it. That name represents the person with whom you will be attempting to make progress with tonight. I shall give you further instructions once everyone has their partners picked out.'

They all looked at him incredulously as he pulled out a black magician's hat and put it in front of Addison. He told them not to tell anyone who they had picked once they looked. It would be a secret until afterwards. Addison reached into the hat, hoping she wouldn't be paired with Derek or Mark for she really couldn't deal with that today. She pulled out a little piece of scrunched up paper. She opened it, daring herself to look at the name that was scribbled. Well, she hadn't picked Derek or Mark, which was good. Instead, the paper read: _Meredith Grey_.

Addison's face looked uneasy. Her eyes had widened a little and her mouth was slightly open. She suddenly remembered that everyone was looking at her and so she quickly tried to change her expression to indifference but it was useless. They had all seen the expression that had crossed her face.

Nigel passed the hat to Callie who seemed to have sobered up considerably since his announcement. She put her hand into the hat and pulled out the little paper that was going to be controlling her fate. She groaned as she read _Mark Sloan _on her paper.

And then it was George's turn. He looked incredibly nervous, almost sweating. He put a shaky hand into the hat and felt around. He had picked a name, but decided to drop it back inside the hat. He did this a few times, but he could tell the others were getting impatient, and so he settled for one. Opening it, he saw the name _Preston Burke_. Great. He was going to have to talk to Dr. Burke…he didn't really want to go back there.

Alex took the hat from George whilst glaring at him for taking so long picking a stupid piece of paper. Alex put his hand in, resigned. There was only one person he really wanted to _make progress_ with, and that was Addison. But she had already picked a name and so there was no chance of his picking hers. He took out the paper and opened it. _Derek Shepherd_. Just fabulous.

There was only Izzie left, and she knew there was only one name left in the hat. Quite a great selection. She took the paper and opened it, read it. Well it wasn't so bad. _Cristina Yang_. They were friends…kind of…it really depended on the days where Cristina was concerned. But at least she wasn't with Callie again. God, she just wanted to get away from her.

And so, all names were picked. Nigel took the hat from Izzie and looked at the group once more. He smiled at how nervous and uncomfortable their faces were.

'Now that all names are picked, you shall have dinner. Enjoy,' he said lightly. He was about to turn away when Cristina spoke up.

'Wait a minute. We pick names for this _experiment_ and then you tell us to have dinner without telling us what the hell the name picking is all about?' she asked loudly.

'Yes,' he stated simply and walked off, leaving Cristina stunned.

The group exchanged looks between themselves before taking their menus in hand to decide what to order. None of them were really paying any attention to what they were reading because they were too busy trying to figure out what they and their partner would have to be doing. Whatever it was, they had a feeling it was not going to be pleasant.


	9. Silence

Hey guys! Sorry, again. I always say I'm going to update sooner…and then I don't…but I must point out that this is my longest chapter ever! Thanks again for the reviews and please, review some more!

_Chapter 9-Silence_

Diner was silent. Completely and utterly silent. There were no conversations at the table. There were no words exchanged between anyone. There was really nothing any of them could say.

Half the people at the table knew who they were paired with, and they were scared out of their minds by whatever they were going to have to do with this person. They were the lucky ones though, because the other half of the group had no idea whom they were stuck with. Not only did they have to panic about what they were going to do, but they also had to consider each one of the people sitting across from them as a possible partner.

As the waiter took away the last of the plates from the table, Nigel made his way to them. Cristina motioned for the waiter to return and fill up her glass, because she refused to do this whilst sober.

'I hope you've all enjoyed your diner. Now on to the activity,' he said this while grinning somewhat mischievously, which made the group squirm in anxiety.

So many thoughts were running through all of their minds at this point. They were all expecting the worse, although they probably shouldn't have been. Richard wasn't cruel. He had their best interest at heart. On the other hand, it was his fault that they were all here, stuck with each other, and so they had reason to be pessimistic about the entire situation.

'You and your partner will be going on a walk tonight, together. During this walk, I would like you to tell your partner, the thing you like most about them, and the thing you like least…or hate,' he stated firmly.

They stared at him in disbelief. They looked like a bunch of whiny students who had just been told they had homework for the weekend. Okay, so they had freaked out for nothing. It wasn't so bad. But still, none of them wanted to do that. It wasn't really something you did everyday. Sure, you might tell someone what you like about them, but you don't usually tell someone what's the worst thing about them in your opinion. And there's a reason for not telling people what you hate about them. The reason is you have to live with these people afterwards. If they been going to leave this place and never see each other again, this would have been easy. But the thing was, they _were_ going to see each other again. Every day. For a very long time.

'Don't you all look at me like that,' he told them, laughing. 'You should consider yourselves lucky, because Richard was originally going to make you do this at the table. But now, we are offering you the privacy of a walk, so that you don't have to reveal your feelings for the other person to everyone.'

'Gee, thanks, that makes everything so much better,' Cristina muttered bitterly.

'Well, hop to it. Get with your partners and go take a walk to wherever you want. Explore. It's beautiful around here,' he finished smiling and he walked off, leaving them all stunned.

'So…do we do this thing or what?' Mark broke the silence. He tried to be confident, as usual, but the boldness in his face was quickly fading. They all nodded in silent agreement and got up from the table slowly.

Izzie made her way to Cristina and tried her best to look peppy, but it just wasn't working. Her smile turned unto a grimace which made her look like she was in pain. Cristina grunted when she saw Izzie standing next to her. She grabbed her drink and said: 'Let's go, Barbie.'

George tripped a little on a rock as he walked towards Burke. He looked everywhere but into his eyes.

'Um…Dr. Burke, it seems that I've…um…picked your name,' George stuttered. The words weren't coming out as clearly as he had hoped they would.

'Alright then, George,' he said smiling. He pointed to a trail leading into a garden close by. 'Shall we go?' George nodded in agreement and they started walking.

Callie stomped her way to Mark and rolled her eyes at him. She was still a little tipsy which made her glare look slightly silly. He smirked at her but she stopped him with an obscene hand gesture.

'Shut up. Here's the deal. I picked your name. Yeah, I know, lucky me. We're going on this walk and we're going to do as the little man said. But you're going to stop smirking right now because otherwise, I'm going to break some of your bones, and you know I can.' She said all this in one breath, her tone remaining completely neutral throughout the entire speech. Her eyes were cold and her face was hard.

'Yes, yes, of course, Dr. Torres,' he answered with mock seriousness. She glared at him and they walked into a different direction, two meters between them.

And then there were four. Derek and Meredith stood on one side of the table, Addison and Alex on the other.

'Meredith,' Addison spoke quietly. Meredith understood and walked over to her awkwardly. She glanced one last time at Derek and then they were gone, walking quickly and far apart.

Alex and Derek seemed to be having a blinking contest. They just stared. Alex looked bitter and disappointed while Derek appeared angry and resentful. A waiter came towards them but turned away quickly when he saw them. Suddenly, Derek's gaze shifted to the beach and Alex nodded, almost imperceptibly. And they left in that direction, still not speaking, maintaining a good distance between themselves.

Behind them, Nigel laughed at the level of maturity of these ten surgeons.

Cristina and Izzie walked along a light path. It really was beautiful, although neither of them really noticed. They had been silent for quite a while until Izzie couldn't take it anymore.

'Okay, so listen. I know you don't really want to do this and honestly, neither do I but I think we should give this whole thing a try. I mean the Chief went through all this trouble to bring us together and we're not even trying and I know it's hard to admit to people what you hate about them and everything but if we could just-'

'I hate that you're so meddlesome. I know you just do it because you care or some stupid reason like that, but it's annoying. Sometimes Izzie, you just have to stay out of it. I just wish you'd stop butting into people's lives. It's not your business, and it's rude. And it bothers me that you just think you're in charge of George's life, and that I have to hear him whining about it later. Just stop it,' Cristina said unfeelingly.

Izzie stood in chock for a few seconds and then regained her footing.

'Okay, so maybe it wasn't that hard…' she said quietly, looking away.

'Izzie. You wanted to know, and so I told you. I won't apologize for that,' Cristina answered truthfully. Izzie nodded, looking up at her, her eyes slightly teary.

'Good, because I don't want you to. I…appreciate your honesty, although I can't say that didn't sting a little…or a lot,' she spoke through tears and then laughed bitterly. 'You know what the worst thing is? I know it's annoying. I know it's rude. Yet, I can't help it. I just feel like it's my job to fix people when they're broken.'

'It's not your job. Stop trying to fix others and start fixing yourself,' Cristina said softly. She had lost her toughness for that one moment and Izzie thought it was weird. 'Now go ahead, bash me, and tell me how horrible I am.' And her tough exterior was back, like it had never left.

'You're not horrible Cristina. Although, sometimes I wish you were more caring and considerate. We're not perfect, any of us. But neither are you. And whenever we make a mistake, it's the biggest thing in the world. When you're around, it's like we're not allowed to be flawed. But the thing is you're flawed. You're cold and sometimes a real bitch and it pisses me off that you're not sorry when you should be because you make mistakes everyday. However, you feel no obligation to apologize when your stupid decisions affect us,' Izzie said, her eyes full of fire once more, the tears that were there a few seconds earlier when gone.

Cristina stared at Izzie, her mouth hanging open in shock. Izzie was sure that Cristina was going to flip out on her for saying such things about her. She was expecting yelling, swearing, maybe slapping, but not what she was going to get.

'I'm…sorry.' It came out as a chocked sob and her eyes showed that she was sincere. They were watery and Izzie had never seen her look so vulnerable. She quickly regretted being the one that made her look that way, but she had to say it, and it had felt good.

'Yeah. So am I,' she said quietly.

They stayed silent for a few minutes, bathing in the moonlight cast upon them. It had hurt to hear those things coming from a friend, but suddenly, it wasn't so bad. There seemed to be this weight lifted from their shoulders. There wasn't that tension anymore and although some might have thought the silence would have been unsettling, they didn't. It was calming.

'I like that you're so straightforward. You don't try to hide behind anything. You're a "what you see it what you get" kind of person and I find it refreshing,' Izzie broke the silence and turned toward Cristina.

'Thank you,' she replied, half smiling. 'I…um…I like how you're not afraid to show you care. I guess I'm…lucky to have you as a friend because I know you care.' Her words dragged out slowly as if it was paining her to say this.

Izzie smiled at her and she smiled back, if you could really call it a smile. It was more a grimace and it faded quickly, which made Izzie laugh. This was really was one of Chief Webber's greatest ideas.

'Callie O'Malley. How did I get so lucky as to be partnered with you?' Mark spoke seductively making Callie's stomach churn.

'Shut up, Mark. Let's just get this over with,' she replied in an annoyed voice.

'Okay then. Right to business, I like that,' he said smirking but changing it to a serious expression when he saw her face. She was clearly not amused. 'Um…let's see…I like that you're so feisty. You don't take shit from anyone, and you shouldn't. Pushovers piss me off,' he finished looking her straight in the eye so that she could she he was being honest.

'Thanks,' she said surprised but trying to hide it.

'You don't have to say thank you. I'm telling you because it's true. Now, what don't I like about you? Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know you that well. I haven't really made the effort…' he said in his cocky way.

'We slept together,' she stated bluntly.

'That we did. It was good…hum…Okay, I've got one! I didn't like that thing you did with the biting and-'

'Whoa! Okay, I get the picture,' she stopped him by lifting a hand to his face.

'Yes. Well that's about all I can think of right now. I'll let you know if that changes.' He smiled at her and she sighed.

'Okay, so it's my turn now. I'd like you to stay quiet until I am done.'

'Sure.'

'Okay… I like that you can make a woman feel like she's special, even when her life seems horrible. You have the ability to make her forget that everything else sucks for a while and sometimes it's all we need to make things seem less horrible. For that I thank you.' She smiled up at him and he smirked.

'It's a gift, really,' he said with so much smugness it made her want to vomit.

'Did I say I was done? Anyways, I _don't _like the fact that you can make a woman feel like she's special, even when her life seems horrible,' she said. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. 'I'm aware that I just repeated the same thing as before. But you see, _Mark_, that's something I like about you, but it's also something I hate. You make a woman forget her troubles with a simple smile, which is great, but you take advantage of them. You use their weakness to get them in bed. Sure, we don't care at the time, because like I said, you make us feel special. But come morning, when you're gone, we're alone and we know we'll probably never see you again, it doesn't feel so good anymore,' she finished and realized she was pointing a finger at his chest the entire time.

Mark had stood still during the entire confrontation and he had listened. He had really listened, which wasn't something he did often. He always heard, but he was rarely listening. But now, hearing her say all these things about him, he felt _somewhat_ guilty about all the things he'd done to all those women. However, he felt incredibly bad about the way he had been treating Addison.

Callie watched as he actually seemed to be getting it. His eyes looked worried as if he was just now seeing the damage he caused. It didn't last long as he smirked once more and looked in her direction.

'Well, this has been fun. We should do it again sometime,' he exclaimed sarcastically.

'Sure,' she replied distractedly, still thinking about the expression that had crossed his face a few moments earlier.

Addison and Meredith walked around awkwardly. They didn't hate each other. They had moved passed the whole "You're-sleeping-with-my-husband-but-you-stole-my-McLife and-you're-Satan" thing. They were okay with each other. That didn't mean they were suddenly best friends.

Addison didn't have a real problem with Meredith. Honestly, she didn't know her that well, but she had definitely been trying. There was a time that she felt bitter towards Meredith, as she felt her marriage would have stood a chance if she hadn't been there. But she reminded herself that it wouldn't have mattered if Meredith was there or not if she hadn't cheated on her husband. Although it still bothered her sometimes how much Derek was in love with her. He had loved her, but never like that, and it hurt to see the look in his eyes when he looked at the young intern.

'Um…okay…should we…do this?' Meredith asked nervously.

'We don't really have a choice,' Addison responded laughing slightly. 'You can go first if you'd like.'

'Right. Thanks. I like…Oh God this is so much harder than I thought it would be,' she said looking up at Addison.

'Okay then…I'll start…I don't know you that well…I really don't know exactly what you do, but you make Derek happy, and I'm glad,' she started, taking a deep breath. 'He and I were happy, but never like you two are. Derek has always had that sparkle in his eyes and when I cheated on him with Mark, it faded. I felt bad for being the one that took that away from him, and I wasn't sure I'd ever see it again. But there it is, back, and shining as bright as ever, and that's thanks to you,' she finished trying to smile but she couldn't hide the sadness in her own eyes.

Meredith didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. She could hear the strain in Addison's voice as she spoke and she couldn't help but feel for her. It's true, Addison had cheated on Derek, but they actually might have had a chance if she and Derek hadn't been together. She didn't regret being with Derek. She could never regret it. But she still felt bad for this woman who had lost the love of her life, her best friend.

'I'm sorry,' she said softly. She didn't know what else to say.

'No. Don't be sorry. It's okay. I can see it, the sparks between you two. And I'm happy he's found that, that you've found that. It just hurts,' Addison whispered, trying to hold back a few tears.

'You're strong, and determined. I admire that. It was hard when you showed up, what with you being so beautiful and smart,' Meredith blurted out, making Addison look at hear with sympathy and appreciation. 'I had no idea how to compete with that. I hated you for it then, but now, I see it a bit differently. I don't know if I would have been able to go into some other city, and try and win my husband back like you did. Honestly, I don't really want to find out if I could. But the points is, you're brave and you're tough and sometimes I wish I could be more like you,' she concluded, realizing that she was rambling.

'You don't want to be like me. I'm a mess, Meredith. If anything, I wish I could be like you,' Addison put in weakly, her eyes tired.

'You're a mess? Seriously? You're always so put together. You never look tired, even with the shifts from hell,' Meredith said surprised at Addison's comment.

'Ah, the magic of makeup,' she answered truthfully. 'Now, I really don't want to know, but what is it you hate about me?'

'Honestly? There was a time when I hated everything about you. But now, I just can't. You'd think I'd be obligated to hate you, with our…_history_ and everything, but I don't. I've gotten to know you, more or less, and there's nothing really detestable. But if I have to say something, I don't like how long it's taking you to just sleep with Alex.

Addison had been smiling a little throughout her confession. She was flattered, really, that Meredith didn't hate her anymore. But the last line caught her off guard.

'What!?' She asked incredulously. Meredith giggled.

'Oh come on. I see it. Everyone sees it. And Alex is just…so whipped,' she laughed again while saying this. 'He's trying to be tough and everything, but he wants you so bad, it's really funny actually. Anyways, I'm just saying, it's cute and all, but we all kind of want the old Alex back and I don't think that's going to happen until you two just hook up.' She was smiling and Addison just stood there a bit dazed.

'I…um…what…how…Alex?' She stuttered running her fingers through her hair.

'You like him right?' Addison hesitated a little before nodding. This was Meredith Grey after all, and this entire situation was weird. 'Then go for it. Trust me.'

Trust her. Trust Meredith Grey, her ex-husband's girlfriend. Take her romantic advice. Could she? I guess she could. Meredith was Alex's friend. She would know. She wouldn't tell her this for nothing. But on the other hand, Meredith was the one that slept with the inappropriate men. She was the one who had dated two men at the same time. She was the one who had broken a man's penis…or so she had heard.

'I'll think about it…' was all she managed to say at the moment. Meredith smiled again.

'Okay. Now it's your turn. What is it about me that just drives you up the wall?' Meredith started sweetly. Addison was really starting to like her.

'Like I said earlier, I don't know you very well. But…and don't take this the wrong way, I'm glad Derek is happy, but it's hard for me to see the both of you together, because he's never loved me the way he loves you, and it bugs me that a few months with you was enough to throw away so many years with me,' she said very quickly, hoping Meredith wouldn't hear what she had said.

Meredith had heard. And Meredith understood. And now, Meredith felt bad for ever hating this woman. Addison had come to Seattle with her priorities set. She had been determined to bring her husband back home. However, she had gotten there, and discovered that Derek had moved on. Meredith could only imagine how Addison had felt. She was starting to see the real woman behind the tough, confident exterior. This woman was not cold, or mean, or Satan for that matter. She was just lost and alone and Meredith understood. Perfectly.

Preston Burke had never been one to get nervous over trivial things. What he had to do right now seemed like one of those things, and yet, he was nervous. He knew what was coming, or at least he was pretty sure he knew, and he wasn't all that eager to do it. He looked down at George O'Malley, his guy, as he had called him once. He really liked George. George was his friend. He was George's friend. But he had lied to him. He had betrayed him and had the truth not come out when it did, he could have been risking his father's life. He had not really apologized but he was Preston Burke. He didn't make apologies.

George avoided Preston's eyes. He didn't want to look into them, because he knew he would just start mouthing off. It wasn't really in his nature to be that way but certain situations brought out the worst in people. Just like this one had. George was still mad at Burke for what he had done. However, he had pushed it aside for the simple reason that he and Burke were friends. At least he had thought they were. But after recent events, he wasn't so sure anymore. George thought himself to be a good person, and so being good, he had tried to forgive Burke. That was still a work in progress. But they were civil with each other. The only thing that still really bothered George was that Burke had never said sorry, nor had he owned up to his mistake.

They stood, silent, neither of them willing to speak first. George was fidgeting a lot and Preston was simply staring straight ahead into nothingness.

'Why?' George uttered abruptly.

'Why, what?' Preston responded calmly.

'Stop it! Just stop it!' George yelled back, making Burke flinch. 'We have to say what we don't like about the other, well here it is. I hate that you're so proud and arrogant to admit that you're wrong!'

'George,' Burke spoke quietly.

'No. No! I'm not finished yet,' he said while trying to keep himself in check. He decided it didn't really matter anymore and just let it all out. 'You were my friend. You were my friend and I trusted you. But you lied, and had I not found out…my dad. You could've killed my dad!' George was practically screaming. It was a good thing there was no one around, because they would have thought George was crazy.

'George,' Burke repeated, still staring ahead into oblivion.

'No. It's not even that anymore. I've put that all aside, because my dad would have wanted me to. But you were wrong to do what you did and you know it. I've forgiven you, or I'm trying to at least, but I think the least I deserve from you, is a sorry. I need you to acknowledge that you made a mistake,' George finished, his voice ending in barely a whisper. He had tears in his eyes, but he was furious.

Burke took in a deep breath and finally looked down at George. It hurt him to see the pain George was in. It hurt him even more to think that he was partly to blame for his suffering.

'You're right,' Burke said. His face remained emotionless.

'Yes, I know I'm-I'm right?' George asked, confused. He hadn't thought he was going to win the battle this easily.

'Yes, you're right,' he repeated. 'I…was wrong…and I…am sorry,' he said. Every word was coming out strained.

'Why?' George asked. It was his turn to look away into nothing.

'Why am I sorry?' The question took Burke off guard.

'No. Why did you do it? I you knew it was wrong, why did you do it anyways?'

'I…was afraid. I didn't want others to think any less of me. I didn't want to face the fact that I had a problem,' he answered truthfully. He decided it was better to be honest. He had lied to George enough.

'Thank you. That's all I wanted to know. And although your explanation doesn't excuse what you did, I needed to know,' George said softly.

All Burke could do was nod. There was nothing else to be said about all of this.

'You're loyal O'Malley. I like that about you. That's why you're my guy,' Preston said, a hint of pride in his voice.

'Thank you, sir. I appreciate that,' George said quickly. 'I think you are a great surgeon. You have a lot of passion for what you do, and I admire that,' George added.

'Thank you,' Burke put in.

'So, what don't you like about me?'

'Nothing O'Malley. You're a fine man,' Burke said, actually looking at George this time.

'Oh come on, sir, there must be something,' George countered.

'No. I think you'll make fine surgeon some day.'

George was going to argue once more, but decided that really, he didn't want to know what the worst thing about himself was. He let it go and he and Burke continued walking down the path they were on, towards the hotel.

Derek glanced sideways at Alex Karev. The truth was he had never really liked him. It's not like they knew each other very well. But nonetheless, Derek didn't like him. There was something about him that made him mad. Maybe it was the fact the he reminded him so much of a young Mark Sloan. Maybe it was that cocky, arrogant attitude that he always had that ticked him off. Maybe it was the way he kept looking at Addison. No. It wasn't that. He didn't care about that. Or did he?

'I hate that smirk of yours, Karev. You're an ass,' he blurted out unceremoniously.

'Please don't be shy. Just be honest,' Alex answered sarcastically.

'Ha, ha. That's another thing I don't like about you. You're cocky, rude and sarcastic,' Derek said bitterly.

'Dude, relax. What did I do to you that made you hate me so much?' Alex asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

'You just…you…you remind me of Mark,' Derek said, resigned.

'Listen, man, I know some people think that, what with me wanting to go into plastics, but I don't appreciate being compared to him. I'm a different person, and I deserved to be treated with respect, unless I give you a reason not to be,' Alex said to Derek confidently.

'Sorry,' Derek muttered under his breath, but Alex caught it and nodded. 'I guess that's something good about you, that you're confident. I think you'll…make a good surgeon,' he finished sighing.

'Thanks,' Alex replied, nodding once more. 'You…are…' Alex started. God it was awkward to just tell someone, your boss on the plus side, a compliment for no apparent reason. 'You're honorable, I guess. You make Meredith happy, which is good, since she's my friend and God knows she's been dark and twisty for too long,' he finished, still feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

'Yeah, well, Meredith makes me happy too. We're really happy together,' Derek answered, smiling at the thought of Meredith.

'Yeah, and that brings me to the other part of this _activity_. You're honorable in the sense that, when your wife came back, you chose to do _the right thing_ by trying to work out your marriage. But I gotta tell you, the way you treated Addison during that period of time, is enough to make me punch you out right now. You got her hopes up and you got her thinking she could have the love of her life back, and then you just broke her heart without a second thought,' Alex rambled furiously.

'Karev, I realize that what I did to Addison was wrong, but why do you care so much?' Derek asked suspiciously.

'No one deserves to be treated like that!' Alex exclaimed.

'But especially not Addison, right?' Derek continued, half smiling.

'What are you talking about?' Alex asked, confused.

'Oh don't play dumb with me, Karev,' Derek said, looking at him meaningfully.

'I don't know what you're talking about, _Shepherd_,' Alex countered. If he wanted to play this game, they would.

'Just admit, will you. You want to get into her pants!' Derek yelled.

'I do not!' Alex yelled back.

'Karev! Stop lying to me!'

'I'm not lying! It's true! I don't want to get into her pants! I...I...I just want to be with her!'

And then there was an awkward silence. It wasn't like some of the peaceful silences the others had been having this evening. It wasn't a silence to be enjoyed. It was a silence in which there was nothing but tension.

Derek mulled over what Alex Karev had just said, or rather, yelled. So, this intern didn't just want to screw his ex-wife. He actually wanted to be in a relationship with her. Or so he said. Maybe this punk was just trying to mess with her. Although it was true that Derek had treated Addison unfairly while they had been trying to work out their marital problems, he still cared. She was his best friend, his lover, for over a decade for goodness sakes! He was allowed to care! And so, it was natural for him to feel a little protective of her. He didn't want this young, arrogant bastard to hurt her. But as he looked into the bastard's face, he didn't see any arrogance, or smugness, all he saw was sincerity. Wow. Maybe Karev really did want to just_ be_ with Addison.

'Alright then. You had better not hurt her, or else you'll have me to deal with,' Derek said quietly, but firmly.

'I don't plan on hurting her. She's had enough of that lately,' Alex said coldly.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Derek said back just as icily.

'It means you hurt her bad. And I know she hurt you first, but still, you hurt her, and Sloan hurt her, and you hurt her again. You broke her,' Alex said softly, his eyes grew sad.

'I broke her…' Derek repeated.

'Listen man, I didn't mean to freak out on you like that, I just don't want her to hurt anymore,' Alex said, sighing.

'You're falling for her,' Derek spoke, smiling a little, staring of at the sea that was before them.

'I'm falling for her,' Alex echoed him, smiling to himself just thinking about Addison.


	10. Fully Functional

Okay! Thank you guys for the reviews sooo much! So, I'd like to say…this is an Addex (yay!) story so it's supposed to revolve around them…although I still like to keep things pretty general most of the time by including all the characters. BUT-this chapter is mostly Addex!! Okay, so maybe not exactly…I mean, it takes a while to get there…but once we're there, we're there! But for those of you hoping that Addison and Alex get together right now…it's not going to happen so soon, because honestly, once they're together, they're just together. Besides, I really like the tension and the buildup which is why it's taking long to get somewhere. But no worries, they _will_ be together…eventually…and for now, they can just drool over each other! Enjoy!

_Chapter 10-Fully Functional _

Nigel stood in the lobby, eagerly awaiting the results of his latest experiment. Richard Webber was a good friend of his and so when he had called asking for his help with this particular situation, he couldn't refuse. In fact, he had jumped at the opportunity. Afterwards, he and Richard had spent a great deal of time thinking up _activities_, as he liked to call them, for the lucky chosen. And now, their plans were becoming reality and he couldn't wait to find out how all of this had worked out.

The first to return were Preston and George. Nigel couldn't read the look on their faces. Their expressions were blank, unfeeling, and it frustrated Nigel. Surely, if things had gone well, they should be talking, unless things had gone wrong, and then they would look angry or bitter, right?

'Welcome back!' Nigel said while plastering the fakest smile on his face.

'Thank you,' Burke replied coolly. George simply nodded.

'How did things go for the both of you?' Nigel asked, getting impatient.

'Fine,' Burke answered, and George nodded again.

'Right, well, take a seat at the table. I'd like to have a word with you all, but we're waiting for the others,' Nigel said through clenched teeth. He could tell these two weren't going to give him anything. No information on how the _activity_ had gone. He didn't even bother arguing, because Burke was looking down at him with such authority it scared him.

'Sure,' Burke said, indifferent, and he George regained the seats they had occupied at dinner.

A few minutes later, Cristina and Izzie came towards them, Izzie smiling broadly and Cristina smirking every so slightly. Her smile was almost imperceptible but Burke caught it, even with the distance between them.

'Well hello, ladies,' Nigel greeted. Izzie simply smiled while Cristina gave him a dirty look in response. 'How did your walk go?' he asked enthusiastically.

'It went good,' Izzie said, nodding to herself. She turned to Cristina, who was still glaring at Nigel.

'Yeah,' was all she said and she went to take her seat next to Burke, while Izzie rolled her eyes.

'Don't worry. She's always like that,' Izzie assured Nigel. With that, she went and took her own seat.

'I'm assuming things went well with you and Dr. Stevens, here,' Burke said to Cristina.

'Yeah, it was fine, whatever,' Cristina answered, annoyed. She called the waiter towards their table and ordered herself another drink.

Suddenly, Mark and Callie arrived and before they made it to the table, they were stopped by Nigel. Mark rolled his eyes. Seriously, the little man was aggravating.

'How was your walk?' he asked excitedly, glancing between the pair.

'It was okay,' Callie said in a bored voice. Mark made to move past Nigel but he put a hand in front of him.

'What about you, sir?' Nigel asked.

'Will you just get out of my face?' Mark spoke rather harshly, which made Nigel shrink back a little.

'I just wanted to…know...the walk…if it went…well?' he stuttered, backing away from Mark.

'The lady already said it was okay. That means it was okay,' Mark replied coldly and took his seat next to Izzie, who gave him a disapproving look.

'What?' he asked her.

'That was rude, and unnecessary,' she told him, glaring at him.

'He was being annoying!' Mark answered, shrugging.

'He just wanted to know how your walk went! He's working for the Chief and he was just doing his job!' Izzie said, her temper rising.

'And Callie had already told him!' Mark said. He too was becoming angry.

'Yeah, but he wanted to know what you though, too! There was no need to yell at the man!' Izzie yelled at him.

'Who cares? Why do you care!?' Mark replied, angry.

'Izzie,' Cristina said exasperatedly.

Both Izzie and Mark turned to look at her. It was then they realized that they were not alone here, and that they had been making quite a scene in the outdoor restaurant area. Izzie understood why Cristina had stopped her. This was exactly what they had been discussing earlier. She was always butting in when it wasn't any of her business. She sighed and turned back to Mark.

'I'm…sorry. I just thought it was rude, but it's really none of my business,' she said to him, rolling her eyes the entire time.

'What was that Isobel? Was that an apology?' Mark said, while smirking.

'Oh, shut up, Sloan!' she said while glaring at him.

'Apology accepted,' Mark answered, ignoring her remark. Izzie rolled her eyes once more and turned away from him looking out towards the beach. She saw Derek and Alex walking towards them, but of course, Nigel intercepted them.

'How was your walk?' he asked, pretending not to hear the groaning coming from Mark behind him.

'It was…um…interesting…' Alex said quickly.

'Yeah, interesting,' Derek repeated. They looked at each other and nodded and went around Nigel, paying no attention to his confused face.

Alex took his seat between Izzie and George, while Derek sat next to Mark.

'So…Meredith and Addison aren't back yet. I wonder what they're talking about,' Mark announced, smirking.

'Shut up, Mark,' Derek responded bitterly.

'50 bucks says that Meredith and Satan come back with black eyes,' Cristina said loudly, drink still in hand.

'Stop calling _Addison _Satan, Yang,' Alex told her, his mouth was tight.

'Oh, get bent, Evil Spawn,' she replied icily.

'Cristina,' Burke hissed

'What?' she looked at him bewildered. 'Who wants in?' she turned away from Burke.

'Cristina, seriously,' Izzie said sternly.

'Oh fine, party poopers.'

At that moment, Meredith and Addison returned talking and laughing as they came down a nature trail. Everyone looked at them in shock. There were no black eyes as Cristina had predicted. They were all smiles, that is, until they saw everyone else. Their faces grew serious as Nigel approached them.

'I don't think I need to ask if _your_ walk went well, am I right?' Nigel said smiling largely.

'Yes, it was good,' Addison answered, returning the smile. Meredith also smiled. Nigel motioned towards the table and they took their respectful seats.

As soon as Meredith sat down next to Cristina, who was a little more than drunk, she started badgering her with questions.

'What the hell is wrong with you? You were laughing with Satan,' she whispered but very loudly letting everyone hear her. Addison looked slightly hurt, but she hid it well, although Alex noticed.

'Yang, what did I say?' Alex spoke loudly. His eyes were cold.

'I really don't remember. I do remember telling you to get bent,' Cristina slurred, annoyed.

'Cristina, I think you've had enough to drink tonight,' Burke said to her quietly. He took the glass from her and put it aside.

'Yeah, whatever,' she muttered darkly.

'Now, now! You were all making such progress! Let's stop the arguing, shall we?' Nigel said loudly, in an attempt to calm everyone down.

They all looked away in different directions, feeling somewhat guilty at their childish behavior.

'Thank you,' Nigel spoke much more softly this time. 'You can all go to bed now, or wherever, that's really none of my business. Tomorrow morning, breakfast will be served here, and afterwards, you can do what you please. We will be meeting tomorrow afternoon also, to start our second _activity_,' he finished carefully, as each person looked up at him irritated.

'You've got to be shittin' me,' Alex blurted out, which caused a murmur of agreement around the table.

'No, sir, I am not…um…I'm not _kidding_,' he said, a look of discontent upon his face. With that, he left.

Burke helped Cristina up and announced that he was going to bring her to her room before she passed out. Meredith and Derek got up and Derek whispered to Mark not to come to their room for another hour or so. Mark rolled his eyes at their constant state of horniness and turned to Izzie.

'Care to join me for a drink?' he asked smoothly, while flashing a McSteamy grin.

'Not really,' Izzie replied, but she couldn't help but smile.

'Oh come on, give me a chance,' he started and she looked at him suspiciously. 'I can be a nice guy. Have a drink with me, I promise I won't try anything on you,' he finished sincerely, or he was trying to be anyways.

Izzie narrowed her eyes and studied his face for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not to accept. If she was being honest with herself, she wanted to go. She really wanted to go, but her better judgment was preventing her from saying yes. She looked into his eyes and he seemed so hopeful that she would accept. He kind of looked like a puppy dog, which made her laugh to herself. Mark Sloan being compared to a puppy. Thank God he couldn't hear her thoughts. She sighed, resigned. She couldn't refuse.

'Fine,' she said and he smiled, taking her hand, which surprised her, and led her towards the restaurant bar.

'So, Izzie's going to be out. Which means you have a hotel room to yourself,' George started suggestively.

'George, I'm more in a mood to talk. You want to talk?' she said completely disregarding the tone of his voice and the look on his face.

'No, not really. I want to have me some sex,' George announced and Callie looked at him like he had lost his mind.

'George, have you had more to drink?' Callie asked him, trying to smell his breath.

'No, I haven't been drinking! I just want,' he was practically yelling, which he realized. He lowered his voice. 'I just want to spend some time with my wife,' he said.

'Well yeah, but why do we need to have sex? We should talk about everything that's happened tonight,' Callie explained.

'Fine,' George mumbled. He wasn't going to win this argument, and he knew it. Better to give up now, instead of wasting time and getting Callie mad at him. They left together and headed towards the lobby, leaving Addison and Alex alone at the table.

'So, that was interesting,' Alex said, smirking.

'Yeah,' Addison replied, smiling.

'Um…did you want to go somewhere?' Alex asked, slightly nervous. Addison had that effect on him. Her simple presence made him nervous. And when she smiled, his stomach tightened.

'No, not really. I was just going to head back to the room, try to catch a movie,' she started, hoping he would offer to join her.

'Oh, yeah, good idea,' he said. He didn't want to say _I'll come with you_, because he wasn't sure if she wanted him too. But he hadn't said he wouldn't. Hopefully, she would invite him to come up, not that she really had to. It was _their_ hotel room.

'Yeah. The plane trip and everything is really exhausting,' she continued, still waiting for him to decide to come up with her.

'It really is,' he said. They were both staring at each other with hope in their eyes.

Addison got up. She didn't know what else to say. She noticed the slight look of disappointment on his face as she did so.

'Are you coming up or are you going to do whatever?' she asked him, trying to sound nonchalant.

Alex's heart leapt. 'Oh, I'm pretty tired too. I think I'll turn in,' he answered, feigning a yawn.

'Right, okay,' she said, her exterior completely calm, but her insides screaming in excitement. After her talk with Meredith, she had really felt like telling him exactly how she felt. He had said he wasn't interested, but then again said the sweetest things to her and looked at hear like she was the most precious thing in the world. She thought that maybe if she told him of her feelings, he would admit to his own.

They started making their way back to the lobby. Alex was walking next to her and he had the biggest urge to take her hand in his. He was so lost in his thoughts about Addison that he didn't notice himself getting closer to her until his hand brushed hers and they jumped, looking at each other. He mumbled an apology and she smiled weakly. Just touching her hand had made his heart swell

They got to their floor and started walking down the long corridor, towards their Honeymoon Suite. As they passed Derek and Mark's room, they heard muffled cries, which made them both look at each other uncomfortably. They quickened their pace to get away from Derek, and Meredith no doubt.

Addison pulled out her key card as they arrived at their door. She opened it and stepped inside, sighing. Alex followed her. Addison grabbed some clothes from her suitcase and a little makeup bag and locked herself in the bathroom.

Alex went to his own suitcase and pulled out some pajama pants. He put them on and took his shirt off. He was shirtless, as he was every night when he was going to bed. But then he realized he wasn't going to be alone tonight. Maybe Addison would think he was coming on to her if he wasn't wearing a shirt. Or maybe she wanted to see his chest. She stared at him enough at work for him to think she wanted to see his chest…and other things. He decided to put on a tank top just to be safe. He lay on the bed, turned on the television and put his hands behind his head while leaning against the many pillows that were strewn over the bed.

The only thing he liked that was playing was an old action movie. It was actually one of his favorites but he doubted Addison would want to watch it.

Addison stood in the washroom, removing her makeup. She looked at her reflection and sighed. She didn't feel nearly as beautiful without her eyeliner and mascara. She was afraid that Alex would see her and be like '_What the hell happened to your face?_' Oh well, she decided, if he liked her, and she really hoped he did, he wouldn't care that she doesn't look as perfect without the makeup. She took in a deep breath and walked out into the room.

Alex inhaled sharply when he saw her. She was wearing tiny shorts that clung to her butt and her upper thighs and a ratty little t-shirt that made her look incredibly sexy. Alex knew he shouldn't have been staring but he just couldn't help it.

'I know, I look horrible,' Addison stated bleakly, while walking to the bed. She knew she should have just kept the makeup on. It wasn't good for her skin but at least she wouldn't have him looking her like that.

'No,' he managed to get out. 'You look…hot,' he said without thinking. He regretted it the moment it left his lips.

Addison blushed and turned her attention to the TV.

'I love this movie!' she exclaimed, suddenly, causing Alex to jump.

'Seriously?' he asked incredulously.

'Seriously! It's one of my favorites,' she explained, smiling at the TV.

'Me too,' Alex said smiling also, only he was looking at her, not the television.

'I haven't seen it in ages,' she continued, excited.

Alex thought it was cute how keyed up she was about a movie. He smiled to himself and put the volume up a little.

Addison lay down next to Alex. She wasn't so far as to say she looked repulsed by him, but she wasn't close enough to suggest something more than simply watching a movie. However, during the entire time they were viewing the film, she wanted nothing more than lay her head on his chest and feel her arms around her.

Alex watched the movie only half paying attention. He was busy focusing on Addison through the corner of his eye. He had the biggest urge to hold her and kiss the top of her head. He wanted to smell her shampoo again. He wanted to feel her skin against his again. He wanted her.

It was well after one in the morning when the movie ended. He sighed and stretched out.

'That is such a good movie,' he announced, but he realized there was no one to hear him as Addison had fallen asleep. He didn't know exactly when though, although he was fairly sure it hadn't been too long because if had been stealing glances at her pretty often throughout the movie. He smiled. She looked so peaceful. He wondered how he was going to get her under the covers without waking her up. He was going to have to be gentle and particular because if he woke up while he was doing this, she could think he was doing something he really wasn't.

He slowly rolled her over to his side of the bed and she made a little noise in her sleep. His heart was beating very fast. He was banking on the fact that she was exhausted from the trip to keep her asleep. He took off the decorative pillows and placed them in a corner. He then turned down her side of the bed, fluffing the pillows so she would be comfortable. Afterwards, he moved back to her and picked her up, making sure to support her head. It's like she fit perfectly in his arms. He didn't want to let go. But he did. He put her down smoothly and pulled the covers around her. She sighed contentedly and he smiled, proud of his work.

Alex turned off the lights in the room, save for the one on his bedside table. He then got under the covers next to Addison, well, he wasn't really next to her. It was a king sized bed after all. He turned off the lights and put his head down on the pillow. He only had time to think about how lucky he was to be lying next to Addison before he drifted off to sleep.

Addison awoke the next morning, her head resting on something solid. She felt something warm around her body, but it wasn't the covers. She opened her eyes ever so slightly only to find herself look at Alex's chest. She wanted to panic. She was wrapped in his arms. Her own arms were circling his waist. They were completely intertwined. Seriously. A freaking king sized bed, big enough for like five people, and they end up fully stuck together.

Her first thought was that she should detach herself from his body. They weren't a couple, they weren't anything really. They were coworkers. Nothing more. Okay, they had kissed, once. But still, that didn't explain why they were holding on to each other for dear life. However, if she was honest with herself, she didn't want to move at all. She could hear his heart beating next to her ear. It was soothing to hear its constant rhythm. She could feel his breath on the top of her head every time he exhaled. She was lost in his arms and she didn't want to find her way out.

She didn't know what to do. She knew she should move. If she just rolled over and he woke up, he probably wouldn't have time to figure out that she had been in his embrace. He'd think something had woken him up but he wouldn't be able to pinpoint what. She decided to do that. She was going to roll over. She was going to do it now. Now. Or maybe in a few minutes…or maybe she could just fall back asleep…No. Yes.

Suddenly, she felt him stir and she shut her eyes, pretending to sleep. She felt him gasp in surprise a few seconds later. He had just opened his eyes no doubt. He was probably thinking of what to do just as she had been moments earlier. She wondered how he would deal with the situation.

Alex had awoken to find himself holding Addison. Although he was thrilled to be able to be in such close proximity to her, he felt like this was wrong. They weren't together and so this was kind of weird. Not that he was complaining, because this was Addison after all. But he felt like he should do something to rectify the situation. He decided to try and move her, without waking her of course. He tried to slip his arm from under her, which was easier said than done.

Addison felt him trying to remove his arm from beneath her. She felt slightly disappointed that he wanted to break the embrace but at the same time, she knew it most likely not because he wanted to, but more because he felt he had to. She decided to simplify the task for him by rolling over, putting on her best sleeping face. She heard his sigh in relief as they broke apart. She couldn't help but feel that way too. They had just avoided major awkwardness, although she felt cold without Alex's body around hers.

Alex looked over Addison's shoulder to make sure that she was indeed asleep. For some reason, he wasn't sure she was really sleeping. He hoped she was though, because if she wasn't, things would get awkward between them and that's not something he wanted. He got up from the bed, careful not to make it creak. He grabbed his little shaving bag and walked off to the bathroom.

Addison sat up in bed once she heard the water running in the bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair. That was a close one, seriously. She got up, took her own little bag that was filled with her shampoo and soaps and went to the bathroom. It was huge, so she figured he wouldn't mind if they shared.

Alex had left the door open in case Addison awoke and wanted to use it. It was the biggest washroom he had ever been in and he felt no need to hog all of it. He was shaving when he saw Addison walk in through the mirror.

'You don't mind if I use the bathroom too, do you?' she asked softly.

'Nah, this thing's huge,' Alex replied, smiling. She nodded her head in thanks and smiled back.

'Are you going to shower?' she questioned. He shook his head. 'Okay.' She started the water and put her hand under it to test the temperature. When she deemed it hot enough, she stepped in the immense shower, taking her bag with her. She left the sliding door slightly ajar.

Alex watched her reflection in his mirror. She saw her hand slip out to drop the t-shirt and shorts she had been wearing. God, he wanted to be in that shower with her so bad. All he could see was her silhouette, and even that was blurry through the glass door. He sighed and finished shaving. He went back to the room, closing the door to the bathroom behind him.

About fifteen minutes later, Addison came out of the bathroom in nothing but a little towel. Was she trying to torture him? It was driving him crazy to see her skin glistening with water. The towel was short and only went down to her mid-thigh. He was trying to be polite and not look at her. He was trying so hard to focus on the TV but it was an impossible task. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen anything hotter. He watched as she gathered some clothes, a makeup bag and a hairdryer and return to the bathroom.

Alex simply waited while she continued getting ready. They didn't have to be down for breakfast for another half hour and he was completely. Besides, he wanted to walk down with her. He had actually made the bed, which was a big thing for Alex Karev. He never made beds, but the room looked odd with the covers all over the place. He even replaced the array of pillows, although he didn't remember how exactly they had been positioned. Afterwards, he had just watched television. He managed to find a sports channel that was showing highlights from a football match from the day before.

When Addison emerged from the washroom, she looked stunning as always. Her hair, her makeup, her outfit, was perfect. He looked up at her and smiled and she responded in kind.

'Ready to go?' he asked her.

'Yeah,' she replied softly. She grabbed her purse while he turned off the TV.

As they left the room, Alex placed a hand of the small of her back and led her towards the elevator. The small gesture made Addison smiled inwardly. It was weird really. The entire morning, they had been acting like a couple that had been together for years. They had awoken in each others arms. They had then shared the bathroom without a problem, she even being bold enough to get in the shower while he was in the room. And after that, he had patiently waited for her while she had prettied herself up. He could have left. He was free to leave and do whatever he wanted. But for some reason, he had felt the need to wait for her. It was weird. They were functioning like a couple, and yet they weren't. Maybe this was sign that they were meant to be. I mean, if things worked this well already, imagine how great things would be when they were actually together.


	11. Perfect Timing

Hey everyone! Thank you soo much for the reviews! I really hope you're enjoying the story!! Keep reviewing please!

_Chapter 11-Perfect Timing_

Izzie Stevens was confused. Actually, she was way beyond confused. She was completely baffled. She had gone to the bar last night with Mark Sloan. _Mark Sloan_. The world's biggest ass. The arrogant plastic surgeon who would never earn her respect. Or so she had thought. But after spending the evening with him, she just couldn't see him that way anymore. Now he was the incredibly hot man that she couldn't get out of her head. He was the man that made her blush with a simple smile. This was wrong on so many levels. This was Mark Sloan! _Mark Sloan_!

She made her way towards the elevator, alone, as she had left before Callie had finished getting ready. She was heading to the restaurant to have breakfast. She was trying to avoid Mark. For now anyways. She was avoiding him. She was avoiding him, or more specifically, she was avoiding the inevitable conversation that they were to have. The thing was, she might have had a tiny bit too much alcohol the night before. Okay, so that was an understatement. She had had _way _too much to drink. She didn't remember anything past her 5th or 6th drink. She remembered the great conversations they were having and how she couldn't believe this new side she was seeing of Mark Sloan. But then, nothing else. She didn't remember how she had gotten back to her hotel room and into bed. But what worried her most, was that she had no idea how she had gotten out of her clothes and into pajamas. She really didn't want to see Mark right now, because she was sure she had done or said something to embarrass herself, and she knew he was going to rub it in her face.

The elevator doors were almost completely shut when a hand come through, preventing them from closing. Of course it was Mark! He grinned as he entered and she looked away.

'Isobel Stevens,' he said slowly and in a very low voice. It made her shiver but she refused to make eye contact.

'Mark,' she mumbled in response, her eyes on her feet.

'So…,' he started. Izzie looked up then and glared at him.

'Okay, whatever. Say what you want to say. Tell me how funny it was when I was drunk! Just get it over with!' she blurted out, angry but nervous.

'Izzie,' Mark said softly, which made her look at him perplexed. 'I'm not going to laugh.'

'You're not?' she asked, still confused but starting to melt at the softness in his tone and the sincerity in his eyes.

'No, I'm not. You got a little drunk. It was cute. I helped you to your room, and I got Meredith to help you into your pajamas, because I was pretty sure you didn't want me stripping you down,' he said lightly, and this time it was he who wasn't looking at her.

'Oh,' was all she managed to get out.

'Yeah,' he spoke gently.

'Thanks,' she replied finally, flashing him a huge smile.

'Sure,' he answered, smiling also. They stood in comfortable silence until they reached the lobby. And they walked to the restaurant together.

As they arrived at their table, they saw Alex, Addison, Preston and Cristina sitting around it already. There didn't seem to be assigned seating today as Addison and Alex were seated together talking and laughing between themselves, which made Izzie smile. Maybe he had told her last night. She sat down next to him, in the vacated seat between him and Cristina. Mark sat at the end of the table, next to Addison. Preston was at the other end this morning where he himself had been seated last night at dinner.

Addison and Alex broke apart and turned in opposite directions to their new company. Izzie beamed at Alex who smiled back a little uncomfortably.

'So you told her?' she asked very loudly. Alex's eyes bulged and he glared at her.

'Shhh! No!' he replied angrily.

'Sorry! I just though you guys looked very…_cozy_ when I got here,' she whispered back, raising her eyebrows at him.

'Yeah, well, I didn't tell her,' he replied glancing next to him, making sure Addison hadn't heard them.

'Yet,' Izzie stated, staring him down.

'What?' he asked confused.

'You haven't told her _yet_,' she repeated firmly.

'I don't know Iz,' he started, shifting his weight on his chair.

'No Alex. Stop it. You like, you tell her. It's simple,' she whispered decisively.

'No, it's not. There's the whole _what-if-she-doesn't-like-me_ issue that I have to deal with,' he countered just as confidently.

'No there isn't! She does like you! It's so obvious! Just tell her. Or don't. Even better, just grab her and kiss her!' she replied, raising her voice a little but lowering it just as fast as Alex gave her a look.

'Izzie, I'm not going to do that, okay!? I'll do it if and when I'm ready!' he argued and it was obvious to Izzie that it was the end of the conversation.

'You're right. I'm sorry. I'm butting in again,' she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

'Thanks,' he muttered back. He took a sip of orange juice and grabbed a piece of toast that was on his plate. Izzie took a menu and started looking for something to eat.

Mark had sat next to Addison because he felt like he needed to talk to her…about Izzie. He felt like she was really the only person he could confide in right now. He had thought about maybe telling Derek this morning, but just when he had mustered up enough courage to tell him, Meredith had knocked on the door and he had been kicked out of his room. He decided to talk to Addison. Surely she would understand. She was dealing with a similar situation with Karev.

'Addison, can we…talk?' he started hesitantly avoiding eye contact with her.

'Um, sure,' she replied confused. 'You want to talk, so talk.'

'It's about…Izzie,' he continued uncomfortably. It was so awkward talking to your ex-lover about this kind of thing.

'Uh-huh,' she mumbled through a bite of her breakfast.

'Well, at first it was just a sex thing,' he said lightly, his bravado returning.

'What?' she choked. 'You've been sleeping together?'

'No! That's not what I meant!' he whispered, indicating that she should do the same, to avoid drawing attention to their conversation.

'Sorry,' she said grabbing some toast and stuffing it her mouth so he could continue

'Like I was saying, she's hot. That was it. I was going to seduce her,' he said suggestively to which she rolled her eyes. 'I just wanted to _do_ her…but then…and now…I don't know what's going on anymore,' he finished looking like a lost puppy dog.

'Mark,' Addison said as she swallowed her toast. He looked up at her. 'You like her. That's good. Maybe you can have a real relationship with her.'

'I'm just going to mess it up Addison,' he stated as his shoulders slumped considerably.

'Not if you don't want to. Come on, Mark. Make an effort. If you really like her, if you really want this, than it won't be that hard, because it'll be worth it,' she said comfortingly. Mark sighed.

'You're right.'

'I'm always right,' she said smiling and she took another bite of toast. That was the end of their conversation as Mark started scanning the menu for something yummy.

Derek and Meredith hadn't come down for breakfast which didn't surprise anyone. They assumed that they had ordered room service. Callie and George had arrived about twenty minutes later. Breakfast was mostly quiet save for the sounds of knives and forks scratching or glasses hitting the rim of the plates.

When they were all done, they decided that they would go to the beach this afternoon as it was such a beautiful day. The men, who were already wearing swimming trunks, were to go save them chairs and get them all towels, while the woman would go change into their swimsuits. They would also see if Meredith and Derek could take time off from _what they were doing_ to come to the beach with them.

Cristina and Izzie knocked on Derek's door. There was no response. Cristina knocked again and still, no one came.

'We're going to the beach! If you sex-crazed animals want to join us, you can!' Cristina yelled through the door. She didn't care if someone heard. She turned around and Izzie followed her into their room.

'So…you and Alex?' Callie asked Addison trying to sound casual. They were standing in the hall outside her room.

'No, not me and Alex,' Addison replied firmly, narrowing her eyes at Callie. 'Why?'

'Oh no reason,' Callie said lightly, fumbling for her key.

'Callie.'

'Yes?' she answered in a breezy manner. Addison glared at her and she caved. 'Okay fine. It's just that you two looked less awkward with each other this morning and so I was thinking that maybe you two just finally did it,' she rambled looking away from Addison.

Addison sighed and leaned against the wall. She smiled a little and looked to Callie who was eyeing her curiously.

'What's with you?' Callie asked.

'I don't know,' Addison said truthfully.

'So you guys didn't…you know…?' she questioned carefully not wanting to make Addison mad.

'No. Nothing! There was nothing. I was going to say something but then I really didn't know what to say and I didn't want him to feel awkward about it. I mean, if he doesn't feel the same way, the I would just be making things weird for him because we do still have to spend the rest of the week sharing a hotel room…' Addison started babbling and Callie was staring at her intently.

'Okay, first of all, what exactly did you want to tell him?' Callie said, wondering if Addison was really falling for Karev. Addison looked at her and Callie noticed her eyes were sparkling. It wasn't something Callie had seen very often, not in Addison's eyes.

'I wanted to tell him…that I'm so completely into him that it hurts,' she stated bluntly and then she laughed bitterly. 'But he said he wasn't interested. In the supply closet, he said it and I heard it and now I just feel stupid for having these feelings,' she continued her face suddenly turning sad.

'Addison, are you serious about all of this?' Callie asked, concern evident in her voice and on her face.

'What do you mean?' said Addison, her brows furrowed.

'I mean, do you have real, genuine, feelings for Alex Karev or is this just some physical attraction that you're feeling?' she explained.

'I'm falling for him, Callie. And now, I just don't know what to do,' she finished shifting her gaze towards the floor. Callie put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'Now, you put on the hottest damn bikini you've got and you make him drool 'till he realizes he wants you just as bad,' Callie responded with a smirk on her face and an evil glint in her eye.

Preston and George had taken the responsibility of finding chairs. Good ones, under those little tent thingies, as Izzie had added, so they didn't burn in the sun. Alex was to get drinks and snacks for everyone, while Mark got the towels because it seemed the only thing he could do without messing up.

Their _chores_ done, they sat on their chairs, waiting for the women to arrive. God, it took them so long to get ready. All they had to was put bathing suits on and still they needed half an hour! Suddenly, they saw a blur pass them and two towels were dropped onto George's head.

'Was that…Meredith?' George asked removing the towels from his eyes.

'Yeah, with Derek,' Mark concluded as he watched the two of them run into the water holding hands.

'They're probably gone to do the McNasty in the water,' George added.

'Dude, you've been spending too time with the girls,' Alex stated as he raised an eyebrow at George.

'Yeah, I really have,' George said sadly.

Just then, Izzie stepped up next to them in a beautiful pink bikini. Mark's jaw dropped and she couldn't help but smile at his reaction. It was just the response she'd been hoping for.

'We're all heading into the water right now. Do any of you care to join?' she asked seductively and they all jumped from their seats. 'But wait, one of you has to stay and guard our stuff,' she added before running into the waves.

'I'll stay,' Alex offered and sighed as he slumped back down into his chair. The others were grateful and they all ran into the water after the ladies who had already entered and had water to their waists.

The water was great. It was a perfect mix of refreshingly cold and soothingly warm. The sand was white and oh so soft beneath their toes. That moment of peace made everything Richard was putting them through worth it.

Callie and Addison were floating contentedly together while Izzie and Cristina were a few feet away whispering to each other.

Addison could only make out a few words of it but she was sure she heard 'McDreamy', 'McNasty', and 'seriously?' somewhere in there.

'There going at it in the water,' Callie said rather loudly.

'Yeah,' Addison said blandly.

'Those two can just go at it anywhere! I mean, we're in public!' Callie argued with no one as Addison was hardly listening.

'Yeah,' was Addison's response again.

'Callie!' George swam towards them. 'Dr. Montgomery,' he added politely.

'Hey George,' Callie welcomed him smiling. Then he whispered something in her ear but it came out pretty loud. Addison heard loud and clear say: 'Meredith and Shepherd are doing it over there. Why don't we do it too?'

Callie blushed and giggled and then nodded to which George looked at her surprised.

'Seriously?' he asked incredulously and she nodded again. She let him lead her away, deeper in the water where there were no children.

'Hypocrite!' Addison yelled after her but she was too far to hear.

Addison was alone in the water now. Her friend had abandoned her. She looked to where Cristina and Izzie had been moments before but they had disappeared. She squinted against the sun and saw that Burke and Cristina were also in a secluded corner together. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Mark and Izzie were huddled close in the water, floating together. From the looks of it, she was straddling him and he was holding her, although she couldn't be certain. Maybe he was going to take things seriously with Stevens. Maybe the two of them could have a real relationship. That's when Addison realized she felt incredibly lonely at this moment and she must have looked like the biggest loser in the world.

She swam to shore and stepped out of the water pushing her hair out of her face. She started walking towards their chairs….and Alex. He was reading a sports magazine. She got to the chairs and he still hadn't noticed the she was there.

'Can I have a towel, please?' she asked trying to sound casual but sexy at the same time, which was pretty hard.

Alex looked up at the sound of her voice but he really wish he hadn't, because the moment he saw her, he thought he was going to die of a heart attack. She was glistening with water from head to toe and she was practically naked. Only the necessary was covered. She was wearing a tiny yellow string bikini that showed her incredible body. Alex suddenly realized he had a 'problem'. His 'problem' was that his _friend_ had decided to…show _up_…his _friend_ couldn't help but notice how Addison looked right now. But his _friend _was going to embarrass him. Alex pulled the magazine he had been reading down quickly to hide him. He blushed considerably and shrugged trying to focus on something else. 'Naked grandma. Naked grandma,' he thought to himself.

'What?' he stuttered stupidly which made Addison smile inwardly. This was exactly what she wanted: to make him drool until he admitted he _was_ interested.

'I asked if I could have a towel,' she repeated lightly, twirling a wet strand of hair between her fingers.

'Um, sure,' he replied quickly and handed her a towel. He tried, but he couldn't ignore her while she dried herself off.

Addison sat herself down in the chair next to his. She could tell he was completely affected by the bikini. She would have to thank Callie later for the brilliant idea later.

'So why are you um…here…? Not that I don't want you to be here or anything, it's just…don't you want to be swimming?' Alex started rambling to break to silence that had eased itself between them. He mentally kicked himself as he realized what he had just said.

'Yeah, well. I was ditched,' she muttered bitterly but she was joking.

'What do you mean?' he asked, trying to sound incredibly interested to distract himself from the fact that it was Addison was sitting beside him in the sexiest bathing suit he had ever seen.

'Everyone is out there doing the…what did they call it? Oh yes, the _McNasty_,' she explained while smiling. Alex however, didn't seem to think this was so funny.

'What?' he exclaimed and it made her jump slightly.

'They're all in their little corners, doing what they're doing…,' she trailed off uneasily.

'Even Izzie and Sloan?' he said while peering into the distance trying to spot them.

'Um, no…well yes,' she started confused. 'I doubt they were…_having sex_,' she blurted out awkwardly.

'Then what were they doing?' he asked. He seemed angry and she noticed.

'Alex,' she started. 'I know you care about Izzie, but-'

'Yeah, I care about her! What the hell does Mark Sloan want with her?' he was almost yelling.

'Mark likes her! He's not just trying to get her in bed, Alex! He's actually developed some genuine feelings for her!' Addison yelled back. She was mad that Alex had gotten this worked up about Izzie. Maybe she had been reading the signals wrong. Maybe he really _wasn't_ interested.

Alex took in a deep breath. He had just realized that he had freaked about the situation without even having the details. And what was worse, was that he had done this in front of Addison, the woman whom he liked…a lot. He knew she must have felt bad right now, because he had reacted like a jealous boyfriend. He wasn't. He just cared about Izzie. He had hurt her when he had cheated on her with Olivia. And then Denny had died. He just wanted her to stop hurting, and it seemed that Mark Sloan had a gift for hurting women.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled truthfully. 'I didn't mean to overreact. Izzie's just a really good friend, you know? I don't want to see her get hurt again,' he said softly and looked at Addison searching her face for understanding.

'Yeah, I know,' she spoke softly, trying to be supportive but Alex could see that her eyes were shining. She was holding back unshed tears and it made his heart break. He hadn't meant it that way. Addison was the only one he wanted to be with.

'Addison, listen I-'

'No, I understand. It's fine. You have every right to be worried,' she cut him off and put on her best fake smile. 'I, um, I have to go,' she said while getting up. Alex grabbed her wrist to stop her. She looked down at him, still sitting in the chair. His eyes were pleading for her to stay.

'I need to…tell you something,' he began hesitantly. He hadn't intended on telling her right now but seeing as she now thought he was still in love with Izzie, he felt the need to tell her.

Addison sat back down slowly. All she wanted to do right now was be far away from him. He had hurt her when he had told her that he wasn't interested and she had gotten over it. But then he started saying sweet things, giving her meaningful glances, and she couldn't help but feel like maybe he had been lying. However now, she could tell his heart still belonged to Izzie Stevens, and she felt oh so stupid for having let herself get in this deep. Before, she could have pushed it all aside. She could have blamed it on a need to fill a void her life. Things were different now. She had falling for him and she had fallen hard, and she wasn't sure if she could mend another broken heart.

Alex could tell she was thinking about all of this. He was pretty sure she had been able to see that he was in fact interested in her and that his previous statement had been nothing but a lie. He felt incredibly stupid for letting himself make a big deal about the whole Izzie-Mark thing and if Addison had been serious in saying that Mark had real feelings for Izzie he really shouldn't worry. He was currently worrying about whether or not he had ruined his chances with Addison.

'I have been waiting for a good time to say this,' he started, not quite knowing how to begin this conversation.

'Okay,' she replied softly, still not meeting his gaze.

'It's really hard to say but-'

'Hey Karev! Toss us some towels over here!' Mark yelled as he and Izzie ran towards them.

'Great,' he mumbled under his breath before throwing two towels towards him.

'Thanks,' Mark replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Hey, what are you guys talking about?' Izzie asked as she sat down next to Alex, attempting to remove that water that was blocking one of her ears.

'Oh, nothing,' Alex answered quickly and he turned back to look at Addison only to discover that she had left. He got up and scanned the area. He spotted her but she was already quite far away.

'Addison!' he yelled after her but she didn't hear him. He sighed and slumped back down into his chair.

'What's wrong with her?' Izzie asked, her eyebrows rose in confusion.

'Nothing! Nothing's wrong with her! She's perfect the way she is,' he said loudly in Izzie's face which made her recoil.

'Whoa, Alex. Relax, will you? I just find it kind of rude of her to just leave like that, as if we disgust her or something,' Izzie mumbled defensively. 'You didn't have to freak out on me like that,' she added throwing him a dirty look.

'Whatever, sorry,' he mumbled, angrily. He was frustrated. He was finally going to tell Addison how he felt about her and they had to show up just then. Perfect timing! Just perfect!

'Karev,' Mark said and Alex jumped. He was too deep in thought to remember that Sloan was there too. He then got mad because it was both of their faults that all this was happening. If they hadn't been fooling around in the water, he wouldn't have had his little outburst earlier and none of this would have happened.

'What?' Alex replied harshly.

'Stop it with the attitude. It's annoying,' Mark said firmly. 'Listen, just go find her. Talk to her. Kiss her. Do her. Just go, instead of staying here and wallowing about what you should have done,' he ordered in a bored voice. Alex looked at him curiously and he rolled his eyes.

'I don't know where she went,' he said lamely.

'Knowing Addison, she either went to the gift shop or the bar,' Mark reasoned.

'Thanks,' he mumbled back uneasily. He got up and went in the direction of the bar first, leaving Mark and Izzie alone.

Mark turned to Izzie, grinning as he opened his mouth to say something, but just then, everyone else came running along the beach yelling for towels. He sighed in disappointment, exaggerating incredibly, and Izzie laughed.

The dripping wet doctors sat on the chairs that had been reserved for them. They were all grinning madly and blushing every so slightly.

'So Meredith, are you and Shepherd done humping each other?' Cristina asked Meredith who still looking at Derek all googly eyed.

'Whatever Cristina. I have to say that we weren't the only ones doing it in the water!' she threw back defiantly.

They all looked away in response. They were definitely guilty as charged though none of them were ready to admit it.

'You all make me sick. There were children out there!' Mark exclaimed sending them a disgusted look, while stopping to wink at Izzie. She laughed and shook her head.

'Well you and Izzie seemed pretty cozy,' Cristina mumbled darkly which earned her a slap from Izzie.

'Don't deny it, Iz,' Meredith put in, giggling.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Izzie replied indifferent, and it made Mark smile.

'Whatever. Call me when you're ready to admit you're screwing Sloan,' Cristina said bluntly and Burke shot her a look that said _Stop being rude_. She shrugged it off.

Alex made it inside the bar. It was nothing like Joe's. This was one of those extremely fancy, lounge style bars and he suddenly felt really underdressed in his swimming shorts and t-shirt. He looked around for red. And then he saw her. She was sitting on a stool drinking a martini. She looked in her element. He imagined this was the kind of place she visited when she still lived in New York. Although she was only wearing a little sundress over her bikini, she fit in. She didn't look underdressed like him. Suddenly he felt like he shouldn't chase after her. He wasn't good enough for her. She was so classy and beautiful and he was just…he was just himself. It took him a minute to realize that she wasn't alone at the bar. In fact, she was talking to another man. A very good looking man for that matter, and she was flirting outrageously. It made his blood boil. He walked up to them and poked the man on the shoulder.

'Dude, get lost,' he said icily. Addison looked up at him in surprise but it turned to anger.

'Excuse me?' the man replied condescendingly.

'I said, get lost,' Alex repeated, his eyes flashing in fury.

'Alex, stop it,' Addison said coldly. 'You're being ridiculous.'

Alex swallowed hard. He shot a dirty look at the man and sighed, resigned.

'Can I…talk to you…in private?' he mumbled, looking between her and the man. Addison looked at him intently. She didn't really want to talk to him after what he had just done. As if he had any right walking in here and chasing off a man like he owned her or something. She relented because she just melted every time he looked at her like that and followed him outside.

'What the hell was that?' she asked him once they were alone.

'I'm sorry,' he said softly.

'Yeah, well that doesn't explain why you did it. What got into you?' she countered but her voice had lost its edge. Her eyes had softened and she didn't seem mad anymore. She just wanted to know.

'I-'

'Guys, I really hate to interrupt you but we have to meet Nigel now! It's time for the next activity!' Callie said as she passed them. Everyone else quickly followed as they were running towards lobby.

'Damn it!' Alex yelled as he and Addison joined the line that was heading to their meeting place. Everyone had such perfect timing! He would have to wait until later to tell Addison about his feelings. But until then, she was still mad at him. Or maybe she wasn't mad, but things weren't going quite so smoothly between them.


	12. Teamwork

Heyy guys! I realize that I haven't updated in like...well forever. I am soo sorry. There are no words to express how sorry I am. The truth is...I almost died! Okay no, that's a lie. The real truth is I've been really busy with school and I've been so tired. I've also been feeling a little uninspired and lazy so...I don't think it's my best chapter...but I hope you'll still like it! Thank you soo much for the reviews. Your support is greatly appreaciated. So, on to reading, and then reviewing! Enjoy. I'll try and update sooner.

_Chapter 12-Teamwork _

Crap. He had almost told her. He had almost told Addison how he felt about her. He had almost poured out his heart to her. Almost, but not quite. He had finally worked up the courage to just tell her even if there was a small possibility that she wouldn't return his feelings, but he was still going to tell her. He was going to tell her because he couldn't stand the tension anymore. He couldn't stand not to being able to touch her or kiss her again. Although, she could shut him down. And then he'd have made a fool of himself. But at least he'd know that he had tried. It was that not knowing what _could_ happen that was killing him. Besides, from the way she had reacted earlier, when he had gotten a little too protective of Izzie, he was pretty certain that she felt it too. There was no way she didn't feel the connection between them. There was just no way. Unless…no. She felt the same way, and he was sure of it.

They arrived in the lobby to see Nigel awaiting them, tapping his foot impatiently. He looked at them sternly, or at least he was trying to be stern. They snickered at his facial expression, knowing they really shouldn't but having a difficult time suppressing their laughter.

'What took you so long?' he questioned, his eyes bulging. He looked insane, and they suspected he might be…

'We were at the beach,' Preston explained, smiling slightly at his demeanor.

'That does not explain your tardiness!' he exclaimed in response, which made them shrink back in surprise.

'Okay, seriously, who says tardiness?' Cristina whispered to Meredith. Meredith laughed and Nigel turned to her, furious.

'Is there something funny, Dr. Grey?' he inquired, eyeing her suspiciously. Meredith stopped laughing and glared at Cristina, who was laughing silently, for getting her in trouble.

'Nothing, sir,' she answered lamely. It was Derek's turn to laugh, but it turned into a fake couch when he saw the dark look Meredith was shooting him.

'I didn't think so,' Nigel said as returned his attention to the entire group. 'You are late and I do _not_ appreciate that. Frankly, I must say you have let me down. You are surgeons! PhD certified surgeons! I would expect you to be punctual,' he continued and shook his head to illustrate his disappointment.

'Sorry,' they mumbled in unison although none of them felt particularly remorseful. Nigel didn't seem to have noticed. He nodded in satisfaction.

'Alright then. Today we shall engage in another activity. Yesterday was about openness and clearing the air. This afternoon is about working together,' he explained excitedly. They all groaned and he smiled. He pulled out a pack of pages and he distributed them. He gave one to Meredith, Addison, Mark, Cristina and George.

'What is this?' George asked, curiously.

'Why don't you look at it, or can you not read?' Cristina shot at him.

'I can read! I can read, I just didn't read it because-' George stuttered out.

'Now, now! What have I been telling all of you?' Nigel cut in. 'Now, these pages are a map of the entire resort. There are instructions to follow and a list of items to find. They are hidden all over the resort. First team to return here, _with_ all of the items, will win a special prize,' he continued speaking slowly as if they were all children.

'So basically, we're going on a scavenger hunt,' Addison said, sounding very unimpressed. Nigel simply smiled and nodded, mistaking her attitude for enthusiasm.

'This is ridiculous,' Mark added and Addison nodded in agreement.

'Don't be so negative. It could be…fun,' Preston said, smiling mischievously.

'What's wrong with you?' Cristina asked him, looking afraid.

'What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine.'

'You've been spending too much time in the sun,' she spoke as she eyed him in confusion. Everyone laughed. Nigel interrupted them, trying to bring the attention back on himself.

'I wasn't done yet!' he yelled, although his voice wasn't very loud.

The laughter slowly died down and turned into giggles until everyone was quiet once more. They looked at Nigel expectantly, and a little impatient.

'Yes, as I was saying, there will be a secret prize for the winners,' he started, calmly but he seemed a little on edge. They stared at him, waiting for further explanation. 'Dr. Montgomery, you will be partnered with Dr. Shepherd here.'

There was a very awkward silence in the air. No one spoke. And yet everyone had the exact same thing on their mind. Derek looked to Meredith who couldn't suppress a laugh. She broke out into a full giggle fit and soon, everyone was laughing again.

'You should've seen your face! It was priceless!' Meredith said through giggles.

'Yeah, Shepherd, you looked like someone had just punched you in the nuts!' Cristina said gleefully.

'I resent that,' Addison put in, she was not laughing.

'Don't take it personally, Addison. You have to admit, Derek's face was hilarious,' Mark said as he nudged her playfully. She glared at him.

'This isn't funny, _Mark_,' she said in a warning tone.

'Dr. Sloan,' Nigel began very loudly and everyone dropped their conversations to turn to him, 'will be paired with Dr. Burke,' he ended softly. Preston and Mark eyed each other carefully and nodded. 'Dr. Stevens, Dr. O'Malley,' he gestured to them and they smiled.

'Yeah!' Izzie whispered to George.

'We're the lucky ones. Did you see Dr. Shepherd's face?' he whispered back.

'I know!' she answered, still grinning. Callie, who was standing behind George, was glaring daggers at the both of them. Addison put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of understanding. Callie mouthed _lucky bitch_ and Addison couldn't help but laugh a little. Callie smiled slightly, that is until Nigel announced that she would be partnered with Meredith.

Meredith smiled uncomfortably at Callie and looked back at Nigel. 'That leaves Dr. Yang and Dr. Karev,' he finished, smiling broadly.

'You have got to be kidding me!' Cristina exclaimed. 'I'm stuck with Evil Spawn?'

'Come on, Cristina. Alex isn't that bad. He's actually kind of nice once you get to know him,' Meredith tried to calm her.

'I don't intend on getting to know him,' she said coldly, eyeing Alex in disgust.

Alex however, had hardly noticed anything that had happened since they had gotten into the lobby. His mind had been on Addison. He was trying to figure out what to tell her and when. He had heard Nigel say that he was with Cristina, but it hadn't really clicked, that is until she had yelled 'Evil Spawn'.

'What?' he asked, breaking out of his daze.

'We're getting started soon,' she mumbled unhappily.

'Listen, Yang, I know you don't want to be my partner,' he started in a bored voice.

'Damn right,' she stated unfeelingly.

'But,' he continued ignoring her comment, 'I want to win this, and I'm pretty sure you do to. So stop being a whiny bitch and let's you and me work together.'

She seemed to think this over for a little bit. She then looked up at him and said: 'Fine, but you have to stop being an ass.'

He smirked and nodded and she rolled her eyes.

'The rules of this game are as follow: you cannot steal an item from another team, nor can you buy the item from the store, or use yours if you own this item. Other than that, it's every team for itself. Are they any questions?' Nigel explained loudly. They shook their heads. 'Good. Now….GO!!' he yelled making them jump but none of them moved.

'Were we supposed to do something?' Meredith asked.

'Yes, yes! You can all go now! The hunt has started!' Nigel yelled, practically jumping out of himself with excitement.

'Oh,' they muttered in unison. Nobody had caught on the first time. But suddenly, everyone started reading the page hurriedly. And just like that, they were off, all in different directions.

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Derek and Addison ran into the hotel gift shop. The shop owner gave them a look that clearly said _what the hell?_. They ignored it.

'Are you sure this is the right place?' Derek asked Addison, his eyes roaming the store.

'Yes I'm sure! It said gift shop! This is the gift shop!' she answered angrily.

'Well I don't see a pair of blue sunglasses! Do you?' he replied harshly.

'No, not yet. I'm still looking,' she started scanning the shelves of cheap souvenirs for the wanted item.

'I bet you read it wrong. We're probably in the wrong place,' he accused.

'Derek! Will you stop it? I didn't read it wrong, okay? It's always my fault, and I'm sick of it!' Addison yelled, completely oblivious to the looks of disapproval she was receiving from shoppers.

'Addison, lower your voice a little-'

'No. I don't care if they're looking. I do however care that we can't be civilized for five seconds!' she said, tiredly. Her eyes were pleading with him.

'You're right,' he conceded, 'I'm sorry.'

'I'm sorry too,' she said gently. 'And I want to win this Derek. You of all people should know how competitive I am.'

'Yeah, I do. And I want to win too,' he admitted, smirking slightly.

'Then let's stop arguing and show everyone that we _can_ work together,' she said decisively.

'Yeah, the others seem to be under the impression that we can't stand each other…and we're not seen as a threat,' he said with an grin on his face and a playful glint in his eye.

'I don't know where they got that idea. We're Derek and Addison. Damn right we're a threat!' she exclaimed, her expression matching his.

'There the sunglasses! I see them!' he pointed towards a shelf full of chocolate where a pair of sunglasses lay. That was one item they could cross off their list, and one conflict they had resolved.

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'So it says to go to the beach hut and get a little pink umbrella thingy that they put in drinks,' Meredith said as her eyes scanned the page Nigel had given her.

'Okay,' was Callie's only response.

'Listen, Callie, I…um…' Meredith tried to break the awkwardness but she couldn't.

'Yeah,' Callie answered.

They walked towards the beach house, not really in a hurry. That is until they passed George and Izzie who were running like insane freaks. In any other situation, Callie would have laughed. She would have laughed of how stupid and childish they looked. But now, they had 4 items from the list in their hands! Four! And she and Meredith had…none. Callie wanted to win this. She wanted to show _Izzie_ that she wasn't really _the lucky one_, because she was going to lose.

'Come on. We've got to run. Let's pretend you and me are great friends okay? Let's beat the pants off all of them!' Callie exclaimed, her eyes wild with excitement. Meredith looked afraid for a few seconds but then she broke out into a smile.

'Sure,' she replied and grabbed Callie's wrist. She started running towards the beach house, pulling Callie along with her.

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Izzie and George were on a roll. They already four of the items needed to win and they were pretty close to getting their fifth one. Izzie had laughed when she had seen Callie's face. It was just so hilarious! It didn't look like she and Meredith had _any_ items which was pretty pathetic. They were so going to lose. And George and Izzie were going to win. No doubt about it. She and George worked together great. They were a great team. Callie was going to be so jealous when she saw the wonderful prize they were going to have. And Izzie was going to rub it, subtly of course, in her face.

'Come on, George! We have to beat them!' Izzie yelled at George who was falling behind.

'I…trying…slow….down,' he panted through ragged breaths.

'George! Pick up the pace! We'll never beat Callie this way!' she said while motioning for him to hurry up with her arms. But then he stopped. 'What are you doing?! They're going to catch up to us!' she yelled and she ran back to him. She grabbed his arm and tried pulling him into a run but he wouldn't budge.

'Why do you want to beat her so much?' he asked suddenly. She ceased pulling and looked him carefully.

'What do you mean? This is a competition, and I'm competitive! I just want to win! Don't you want to win?' she answered smiling. He didn't smile back.

'Yeah, I want to win. But this thing is first and foremost, a way for all of us to learn to get along,' he said confidently and it surprised her. She looked at him in shock for a moment and then recovered.

'We already get along, George.'

'I'm not talking about you and me, and you know it,' he stated, staring her down. When she didn't answer, he continued: 'What do you have against Callie? Really? What is it?'

'She's bad for you, George! I just don't want to see you get hurt,' she shouted and he jumped back.

'Seriously, Iz,' he said and she cracked.

'Fine! I'm jealous!' she yelled.

'What?' he asked dumbfounded.

'Yes, George, I am jealous…of _Callie_,' she spit out.

'Why?'

'Because you're _my_ best friend! And now, you're always with her. I guess…I just miss you…' she said softly.

'Iz, that's not even true. I'm always trying to make time for you and its Callie that hardly sees me. She gets so mad at you because she feels like she can never measure up to you,' he rationalized.

'Seriously?' she asked.

'Yeah.'

'I've been a real bitch haven't I?'

'Yeah.'

'Forgive me?'

'You should be asking Callie.'

'I will,' she stated sincerely. 'But can we still hurry up? I really want to win that prize!' she said cheerfully. He just smiled, feeling like maybe, things were finally going to be okay between her and Callie. He sprinted off laughing and she soon caught up with him. Her legs were much longer than his.

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'It's this way!'

'No. It's that way!'

Saying that Cristina and Alex weren't getting along was an understatement. They were at each other's throats all the time. They hadn't yet found one of the items listed, because they couldn't decide which way to go.

'It says to go the big slides and ask them to take a snapshot of us in front of it!' Cristina yelled at him.

'Thanks, I got it the first time, but when you yell it at me it makes so much more sense!' he said in a fake sincere manner.

'Evil Spawn, it's that way! The slides are that way! I'm sure of it!' she replied harshly.

'No. It's the other way. If we go your way we'll be at the wave pool,' he countered and he left. Cristina muttered something about assholes and scalpels and followed him.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the big slides and Alex turned around to smirk at her.

'I told you Crack Whore!'

'Well, whatever,' she mumbled.

'Come on. Stop being a baby. What did we say about being a whiny bitch?' he reasoned, smirking devilishly.

'Shut up. Let's go,' she said and they left the slide area, picture of them in hand. Only 9 more items to find.

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Izzie and George ran to the lobby, all ten ridiculous items in hand. They walked up to Nigel and dumped their things at his feet. He eyed the both of them with disgust. They were sweaty from running, and wet and sandy from retrieving a certain rock from the ocean. However, they were all smiles, and Nigel seemed happy about that.

'Congratulations. You have found the items, but I hope that you have also found a better understanding of each other,' he said softly. They smiled and nodded.

'So…did we win?' Izzie whispered to Nigel, in a semi-suggestive manner. He seemed shocked and appalled that she was so close to him. He jumped back.

'You'll have to wait and see,' he said sternly, putting as much distance between himself and Izzie, which she found to be hilarious.

A few minutes later, Derek and Addison ran towards them with a big bag in hand. They dropped it at Nigel's feet and he smiled at them.

'Sorry, guys, we got here first!' Izzie said cheerfully. She and George were grinning broadly.

Nigel looked through their bag of items and nodded, indicating that they had indeed completed the hunt. Addison smiled in thanks and Derek nodded in his direction.

'Well, it's not so bad. I bet the others will be expecting us to come dead last,' Derek whispered to Addison, who looked a little disappointed.

'Yeah, I guess,' she sighed, 'We did good.' She smiled softly at him and he reciprocated. Just then, Callie and Meredith came sprinting through the outside doors, arms full of stuff. They arrived, breathless, and dropped the things.

'Everything appears to be in order,' Nigel said while standing over the items that lay scattered on the floor.

'Yeah!' Meredith cried and she gave Callie a high five. Everyone looked at them, surprised, especially Izzie.

'What? Why are you all looking at us like that?' Meredith asked, giggling at their expression.

'Yeah, Meredith and I are great friends,' Callie said, smiling at Meredith.

'Are you okay?' George whispered to her.

'Yeah, I'm really good,' Callie answered, still smiling.

During the hunt, Callie and Meredith had talked. Well, they had talked as much as possible while running. But they had discovered that they actually had a lot in common. It seemed that they really didn't any valid reasons for disliking each other. At first, they were just pretending to be friends for the sake of winning, but somewhere down the line, they formed a real bond.

'Well, that doesn't really matter, because you guys still arrived third!' Izzie said.

'Izzie, be nice,' George hissed.

'Sorry…it's become a habit,' she whispered to him and turned to smile at Callie. Callie looked confused and afraid at this sudden change in the blonde.

'Does she look like she's been drinking to you?' Callie asked Meredith, who laughed and shook her head.

At that moment, Alex and Cristina came in, pushing and shoving each other. They consequently dropped items everywhere in the lobby before they actually made it to the gathering of doctors…and Nigel.

'We're here!' Cristina yelled as they arrived.

'Yes, we can see that,' Addison said slowly and Derek laughed.

'You two made up?' Alex asked Addison, but she didn't answer. Obviously, she was still sore about his little freak out earlier. Derek, sensing the tension between them, cut in.

'Yeah, we…um…talked,' he said, smiling slightly, but it did nothing to help the situation. Alex was staring at Addison intently, while she refused to look up.

'Addison,' Alex tried but Nigel cut him off.

'Listen, all! You've all completed the hunt and now-'

'We get the prize?!' Izzie exclaimed.

'Well, _someone_ gets the prize,' he told her and she looked confused.

'What do you mean? George and I were here first, therefore, we get the prize,' she reasoned.

'Actually, you were here second,' Nigel answered.

'What?' George and Izzie said at the same time.

'Hey! There are Seattle's slowest doctors!' Mark yelled from across the lobby, drink in hand. Preston followed behind with his own drink.

'Did you guys give up or something?' Cristina asked, baffled.

'No. We got here a while ago. We got tired of waiting so we went for a drink,' Preston explained, smiling at their surprise.

'You and you, won?' Addison said skeptically.

'You're underestimating us, Addison,' Mark stated and she rolled her eyes.

'You two don't exactly scream teamwork,' Derek put in, also looking perplexed.

'Well, while all of you were arguing like children, Preston and I split up and finished the race in about half an hour,' Mark told them, smirking.

'You could all learn from Dr. Sloan and Dr. Burke,' Nigel informed the group and they laughed.

'Laugh if you will, but while you're doing that, Preston and I will be enjoying our prize,' Mark said gleefully. They all shut up.

'What _is_ the prize?' Meredith asked Nigel.

'The winners get a gourmet dinner tonight, _and_, they get to make the teams for the next activity,' he announced lightly.

Mark and Preston were grinning madly. They started whispering between each other while eyeing different people. They were laughing mischievously. Everyone was freaked out, one, because they were chatting like old pals, and two, because they had the power to partner them with anybody they wanted. Mark lifted an eyebrow and Preston nodded and they turned back to the others who were staring at them in fear.

'Well, Mark, how about that dinner?' Preston said loudly, smiling.

'Sounds good,' Mark answered and they left in direction of the restaurant.

'What the hell was that?' Derek asked once they were gone.

'Quite possibly the scariest thing I've ever seen,' Cristina answered.

'Does anyone else feel like we're running out of air?' George stuttered and grabbed at his throat.

'We're not running out of air, O'Malley,' Alex said as he hit him over the head.

'I can't believe we lost to them,' Izzie said suddenly, changing the subject.

'I know. It really sucks. They're never going to let us forget it,' Addison stated dully.

'How about we go eat?' Meredith proposed, trying to sound cheerful.

'You mean eat the dinner that _isn't_ gourmet because we _didn't _win?' Cristina asked bitterly.

'Exactly,' Meredith answered, laughing at Cristina's expression.

They left together towards the restaurant. Meredith and Derek joined up and he put his arm around her. George went to Callie and did the same. Cristina, left without her fiancé, decided to go talk to Izzie who was also looking pretty lonely without Mark Sloan drooling after her. That left Addison and Alex who were keeping an awkward distance between each other.

Alex walked up next to her, ignoring the obvious fact that she didn't really want to walk with him right now.

'Hey,' he said softly.

'Hi,' she replied a little stiffly.

'How are you?' he said carefully.

'Fine.'

'Are you still mad at me?' he asked, skipping right to it. Alex Karev didn't play stupid little games.

'I wasn't really mad at you…' she trailed off.

'But?' he continued softly.

'But…I was upset.'

'Yeah…I was a jerk,' he said sincerely.

'You embarrassed me back there,' she said, a little more confident now.

'I know…I'm sorry…I don't know what got into me,' he spoke gently. But it was partly a lie. He did know what had gotten into him. He got jealous, when he saw that guy all over her. He was furious when he saw her actually flirting back. Sure, he had no claim on her, but he felt so protective of her. It was almost overwhelming.

'Yeah…,' she replied, not knowing what else there was to say. She had a feeling he did know why he had acted that way. He wasn't telling her something.

'Are we…okay? I mean, we have to share a room and everything. I would hate for things to be awkward,' he said, quickly turning back his arrogant self.

She squinted at him. If he was going to be like that, so could she. 'What aren't you telling me, Karev?' she asked, putting emphasis on his last name. He pulled his shoulders back and stood up straighter than before. He smirked at her.

'Nothing. Why? Is there anything _you'd _like to tell me?' he asked, turning the tables on her. If she wanted to play it like this, they would.

'Nope, nothing,' she answered her eyes flashing.

They arrived at their usual table and sat down with their coworkers. Derek leaned over to Addison: 'Is everything okay with you and Karev?'

'What do you mean?' she replied nonchalantly.

'I mean, the other day, you two were all close and cute and now, you're ignoring him,' Derek elaborated for her.

'I'm not ignoring him,' she said.

'Addie.'

'What?'

'If you like him, and it's pretty obvious that you do, just tell him!' he whispered gently.

'Well maybe I don't like him,' she continued in an indifferent voice, while playing with the straw in her drink.

'Addison, what's happened?'

'He…he freaked out about Mark and Izzie!' she finally admitted.

'And?' he asked, not seeing the relation between the two things.

'And…and it's clear he still has feelings for her!' she said a little too loudly. Luckily, everyone else was deep in conversation with another.

'Addie, he cares about her. They're friends. They used to date. He'll always care. But it doesn't mean he wants to be with her,' Derek assured her.

She thought about what he said for a moment and then said: 'But how do you know?'

'Addie, I feel the same way about you. I'm happy with Meredith, but I still worry about you and I was a little anxious and protective of you when he said-' he stopped short. She eyed him curiously.

'When he said what?'

'Nothing,' he lied. Open mouth, insert foot.

'When he said what, Derek?' she demanded, glaring at him.

Derek shook his head but the look she was giving him was enough to scare anybody into telling the truth. 'When he said he was falling in love with you.'


	13. Forget the Plan

_Ok. I feel like I've been apologizing often for taking so long to update. And it's not like I have a good reason. I mean, I've been busy...but not that busy, and I've had this written for a while...I just didn't really like it that much. All this to say, I'm saying sorry yet again...and I hope you'll all forgive me. Enjoy!!_

_Chapter 13-Forget the Plan_

Blank. Her mind went blank when she heard Derek say those words to her. Had she heard right? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? She knew she looked like she was in a trance right now, and she probably was, but all she could think about at that very moment, was what Derek had just said. She heard someone calling her name…vaguely. She looked up and saw Derek staring back at her, his face full of concern.

'Addison, are you alright?' he asked gently.

'Whaa?' she replied her mouth still hanging open in shock.

'Are-You-Alright?' he repeated, stressing every word to make sure she understood.

'Um…Yeah.'

'Are you sure? You look a little pale…'

'Are you serious?' she asked him, her face full of hope.

'Yeah, you're skin isn't its usual col-'

'That's not what I meant, Derek,' she said.

'Right. Yeah, I'm serious,' he said honestly. The truth was Derek felt incredibly guilty about having let slip Alex's feeling. He was pretty sure Alex wanted to tell her himself but it was too late now. There was no use crying over spilt milk.

'When did he say this?' Addison questioned impatiently.

'The other night, when were on that walk, it sort of came out,' he explained, resigned. He didn't even bother trying to cover anything up. Addison would find out one way or another.

'And you're sure that's what he said?' she continued, anxiously.

'Yeah. Addie, he's crazy about you,' Derek offered softly. Addison turned in her seat to look at Alex, who was chatting with Izzie. She felt the jealousy start to rise in her but Derek put a hand on her shoulder and it disappeared. She was going to trust him on this. She so wanted to believe him. It was more than she had wanted. She had only wanted a tiny glimmer of hope. She just wanted '_I'm attracted to you_' or even '_You're hot_', but this was so much more. She felt exhilarated and nervous beyond belief at the same time.

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'She's staring at you,' Izzie informed Alex who had his back turned to the redhead.

'So?'

'Alex. What's up with you? Yesterday you were all crazy in love with her and today, you're acting like you don't care,' she asked, genuinely concerned.

'Nothing. We just got into this like little fight thing,' he explained.

'Did you have time to tell her?'

'No.'

'Are you going to?'

'No.'

'What? Why not!?' she exclaimed and he jumped back in his seat. He didn't answer. 'Alex, stop being a moron! You need to tell her. This ignorance thing you two have got going on, it's got to stop!'

'Can we _not _talk about this right now?' he pleaded.

'Alex, we're going to have to talk about it eventually. Why not get it over with?' she reasoned calmly.

'I'll tell her Iz. When I'm ready, I'll tell her. But right now…I just don't want to talk about it, okay?' he said it has a question but she knew there wasn't any room for discussion. She nodded understandingly and took a sip of her drink. There was a little bit of tension between them.

'So…you and Sloan?' he replaced the tension with awkwardness. She almost spit out her drink.

'Why would you say that?' she replied a little too quickly. She was avoiding eye contact with him.

'You were in the water with him,' he started in an accusatory tone.

'Yeah…'

'Iz, spill.'

'Fine. Me and Sloan. I think we're together,' she announced flatly.

'You think?' he said confused. She rolled her eyes at him.

'Yeah. I got drunk last night and he didn't even take advantage of me…and then today, he's been acting all sweet and everything and-'

'You're with Mark Sloan,' he said, hardly listening to her explanation.

'Alex, he's not that bad. It's like you. You're nicer when people get to know you. So stop judging me and be a good friend!' she ordered.

'Okay fine! But be careful. I don't want you to…you know…get hurt,' he mumbled and she smiled at him.

'Aw, you're so sweet. But stop being sweet to me, and start being all dreamy for Addison,' she told him sternly.

'Yeah, I will.'

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Dinner had been good, but the day's events were starting to take their toll. Normally, they would have gone out for drinks or someone would have suggested they go into town and explore a little. But tonight, they would be turning in early.

Callie and Addison walked together to the lobby. Addison hadn't talked to her since that morning, which meant there was a lot to be said.

'What's up with you?' Callie asked her friend, noticing the distant and dreamy look upon her face.

'Derek said something to me earlier,' she started bluntly not offering any resistance. It was a waste of time with Callie. She always got it out of her eventually.

'Okay. Something bad?' Callie questioned, seeming concerned.

'No, something good. At least I think it's good…,' Addison trailed off.

'Addison, you're being very vague. Just tell me,' Callie said.

'Right, sorry. Well Derek and I were talking about something that happened this afternoon between me and Alex and,' she started and lifted a hand before Callie could ask what had happened. 'It's not important anymore. And then, Derek said that Alex said, that he was falling in love with me!' she cried half in excitement, half still in shock.

Callie's mouth was ajar. And then she broke out into a huge grin, her eyes twinkling in enjoyment.

'What a moron,' she stated a few seconds later.

'Who?' Addison asked confused at her friend's reaction.

'Well, honestly, both of them. How stupid is it that Alex can tell your ex-husband how he feels about you, but he can't tell _you_?!' she exclaimed and Addison had to acknowledge the truth in her statement. 'And, well Derek is a moron for letting it slip. I mean, your ex told you that another guy is falling for you, before the guy! How romantic,' she ended sarcastically and Addison laughed.

'But what do I do?' Addison had stopped laughing and was serious once more. There was confusion etched on her face and Callie rolled her eyes.

'Addison! He likes you! Actually, he more than likes you! So you don't have anything to worry about anymore!' Callie reasoned and Addison seemed to relax at little.

'Yeah…you're right. Tonight's the night. I'm telling him tonight,' Addison stated confidently and left Callie standing in the middle of the corridor.

Callie watched her until she reached the end of the hall and disappeared behind her door. There, that was taken care of. Now, she had her own problems to deal with. Or, she had _one_ problem to deal with, but it was definitely big enough. She took a deep breath, put her key in the door and turned the knob. She stepped in and saw…no one. It was empty. She released the breath that she had been holding in and relaxed. She'd deal with Izzie, later.

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Meredith opened the door to her hotel room. Preston was still at dinner with Mark, so for now, it was all hers. She walked in, with Derek following behind. Truth was they had _two _hotel rooms for themselves, as Derek's roommate was the second half of the unusual dynamic duo. That meant they had four beds they could use to do whatever they wanted. Four beds! However, they settled for Meredith's bed. They simply lay together, Meredith's head on his shoulder, one arm draped over his stomach. Derek had one arm around her shoulder. Their fingers were intertwined. They looked peaceful.

'How was it with Dr. Torres?' he asked gently, while inhaling the sent of her shampoo.

'It was great, actually. Once we got past the awkwardness, that is. But we have a lot in common,' she explained quietly, she seemed to be drifting off a little.

'That's good,' he said while squeezing her around the shoulders.

'What about you and Addison? It looked like things were going good when we got to the lobby,' she questioned, and he noticed she seemed more awake suddenly.

'Yeah, I guess you could say that,' he replied in a mysterious voice just the pique her curiosity.

'What do you mean?' she said as she sat up to look at him. He laughed at her and she pouted. 'Derek,' she warned him.

'Meredith,' he answered, still laughing.

'What happened between you two?'

'Well honestly, nothing. We yelled at each other a little bit, and then decided that it wasn't working anymore…we didn't really discuss our problems that much…Now that I think of it, it's kind of weird,' he started in a tired voice but it ended in confusion and he scrunched up his face. It was her turn to laugh.

'Don't do that with your face. It looks stupid,' she told him. He scrunched up his face extra hard and they laughed.

'Hey, what do you think about Karev and Addison?' he asked suddenly and she looked at him curiously.

'Why?' she looked at him suspiciously.

'He talked to me about it, and then she talked to me about it.'

'Yeah, Addison talked to me about it too,' Meredith said lightly, abandoning the jealous girlfriend act. She trusted Derek.

'Karev said he's falling in love with her,' Derek stated openly. He had already told Addison, so it didn't really matter anymore. Besides, he trusted Meredith to keep it quiet. Well she would probably tell Cristina…and she would tell…everyone. Oh never mind. That was stupid of him again…Oh well, everyone would find out eventually anyways.

'Seriously?' she exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

'Yeah.'

'Has he told her yet?'

'No…but she knows,' he said and looked away guiltily.

'How does she know?' Meredith asked him, her eyes narrowing.

'I might have accidentally told her…,' he said lamely.

'That was smart,' she told him sarcastically.

'Yeah…'

'What did she say?'

'She didn't say much. She was kind of too stunned to talk,' he explained.

'That's understandable. I wonder if she'll tell him that she feels the same way,' Meredith said and she lay back down next to Derek, a pensive look on her face.

'Who knows, she might be telling him right now…'

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Izzie stepped into her hotel room. She had just had the most wonderful walk down the beach with Mark Sloan and she felt like she was walking on air. She opened the door slowly, certain that Callie was asleep. She crept along the floor until she reached the beds and looked up. Callie was not sleeping. She was lying in bed, reading a novel with a clay mask on her face.

Callie looked up from her book to the blonde standing before her. Shit. She had been planning on removing the mask before she returned to the room to avoid the look Izzie Stevens was giving her at this very moment. It was a look that said '_What the hell is on your face?_' and Callie felt incredibly stupid. She was now awaiting the inevitable quick-witted remark from Izzie. She mentally prepared herself for the blow, but it never came.

Izzie was standing there, with a really weird look on her face. And then she started laughing. Laughing hysterically, so much as to bring tears to her eyes. Normally, Callie would have laughed. But this time, she didn't dare, as she wasn't sure if she was the source of the laughter.

'I'm sorry,' Izzie choked out through tears and giggles.

'What?' Callie asked, and her face scrunched up in confusion. As she did this, the mask started to crack. You weren't supposed to move your face once it had hardened. Callie had forgotten that, in all the excitement. And then she started laughing, at herself and at the ridiculousness of the entire situation.

After a few minutes of hysteria, they calmed down, and silence overtook the room. Izzie's eyes were red from tears of laughter and Callie's mask now had many lines going through it, caused by her own laughing.

'Callie?' Izzie said softly and suddenly, shaking Callie from her thoughts.

'Mm?' she mumbled in response.

'I'm sorry…for the way I've been…acting lately,' Izzie apologized quietly. Callie looked up at her in shock. 'I see you as a threat. It feels like you're trying to steal George away from me,' Izzie said in the most honest voice Callie had ever heard from her.

'I'm not. Trying to steal George…I'm not. I can't. I love him, but you're his best friend, and I always feel like I'm nothing next to you. You're Izzie,' Callie told her meekly.

'I've been really mean to you lately…,' she trailed off awkwardly.

'Well…I haven't exactly been nice either,' Callie said.

'I'm sorry,' Izzie said and she looked Callie straight in the eye. She had read somewhere that you should always look people in the eye when you apologize. Otherwise, you didn't mean it, and this time, Izzie definitely meant it.

'I'm sorry,' Callie echoed her. This was good. This was progress. She was making progress with Izzie Stevens. She hadn't thought that was possible, but here she was, with the blonde doctor looking at her with so much sincerity it almost scared her. Something told Callie they would not be great friends, but friends nonetheless, which was great! Some people just weren't meant to be great friends, but they could probably talk, and laugh, and stand to be in the same room at the same time, which was more that could be said for them yesterday.

'You want a clay mask?' Callie asked lightly, cutting the tension.

'Yeah sure, as long as I don't end up looking like you,' Izzie said while pointing at Callie's face. Callie laughed in response as she saw her reflection in the mirror.

'You wish you could look like me, Stevens,' Callie said jokingly and Izzie laughed.

'Yeah, I so do,' Izzie said in the most sarcastic voice ever. They laughed again. It wasn't as much because it was funny, but more because there was suddenly a weight lifted from them. All the tension and anger that had built up between them during the past months was gone, and it felt good. It felt really good.

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George and Cristina were living in silence. Complete, utter, silence. George had decided that if she didn't care about fixing things with him, he didn't care either. So what if he had thought they were sort of friends. Obviously, he didn't matter to her, and if that was the case, then he wouldn't even bother trying. It wasn't worth it. _She_ wasn't worth it.

Cristina lay in her bed, watching mindless TV, while George paced around the room. She was suddenly aware of how small it really was. She glared at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He actually seemed very determined to _not_ look at her. She rolled her eyes. Evidently, he was still mad about yesterday afternoon's little disagreement. God, he was such a baby sometimes!

'George, stop it,' she said tiredly. He stopped, looked at her for a second, and resumed his pacing. 'George, I'm serious,' her voice was rising. He ignored her completely this time and she was shocked.

'George,' she said firmly.

'What?' he said finally, still pacing, and still avoiding her gaze.

'Stop it, or I'll make you,' she informed him angrily.

'No,' he said defiantly, almost like a child. She laughed, and it made him mad.

'God, you can be such a baby!' she announced loudly and he turned to look at her right in the eyes. The confidence she saw in them, was scary. When he said 'No,' again, she could tell he meant it. She had never seen George like this. It was…surprising.

'Okay,' she mumbled quietly. She didn't really know what else to say. George didn't stand up to her very often. Actually, the last time that he had stood up to her was during the whole fiasco with his dad and Burke's hand.

'Cristina,' he said suddenly. He had stopped pacing. He was standing right next to her. He was looking down at her while she watched TV. She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to talk, because she knew he wanted to.

'Just go. Just say whatever it is you need to say,' she instructed him. He breathed in, and out a few times. She prepared herself for whatever it is he had to say, although she had a pretty good idea of what that was. She had been avoiding this conversation. And however tough she may appear on the outside, she still had feelings. And she was pretty sure his speech was going to hurt her on some level. But she was also pretty sure that however much it hurt her was probably only a fraction of what he felt.

'I'm learning to forgive Burke. It's getting there. But you, I can't,' he started without warning and Cristina was surprised at his tone of voice. It was cold, shiver inducing.

'I don't really-' she started trying to match the coolness in his voice.

'Don't. Don't say that you don't care, because you do,' he said. Well…he didn't actually _know_ that she cared. He took a leap of faith on that one…She looked up at him, eyes full of sorrow, and he knew he had hit his mark…luckily. But still, she didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

'I _can_ forgive you. I can,' he spoke quietly, 'but I need to know that you want me to.'

'George,' she started calmly but he didn't let her finish.

'No. It's my turn to talk. I just need to know that you're sorry. That you feel bad, that you feel _something_,' he finished and he sat down across from her on his bed.

'I do,' she choked out. It seemed that her throat had closed up for some reason. She felt an overwhelming rush of emotions. She tried to push them away but they wouldn't go.

George nodded. 'It's a start.' And that was it. He didn't say anything else. He changed into his pajamas, turned down his bed and slipped into it. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

Cristina lay stunned. It would more than a few minutes before she fell asleep that night.

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Mark Sloan was on Cloud Nine. He was like Izzie Stevens more and more every second. He just couldn't get enough of her. After Addison, he hadn't thought he would be able to put himself out there again. Well, he was going to sleep with other women. Seriously, he was Mark Sloan. But he hadn't thought he would ever let himself fall for someone, and actually try and build a relationship with said someone. But Isobel Stevens made it all worth it. She made his heart beat faster, his palms sweat, and his words come out in a jumble. She kept him in line, and she didn't take any of his bullshit, which he appreciated. He felt like he was fully over Addison, which was not an easy thing to do, and committed to Izzie. He had just taken her on a beautiful moonlight stroll on the beach and he felt lightheaded, but in a good way. She had left, regretfully saying she was tired. And so here he was, in the resort bar by himself, unable to wipe the gigantic grin off of his face.

He and Preston had worked remarkably well together. They were men. They were the only team with no woman, and Mark was sure that was the biggest reason they won. No estrogen in the air to cloud their vision. Dinner had been amazing. It was one of the greatest meals he had ever had in his entire life. Preston had been good company. They didn't really share interests, not at all actually, but they somehow found a few topics to discuss. And once they would start a conversation, it would last a while, which was surprising to say the least. Mark Sloan had been having a great day.

But then Alex Karev walked into the bar, looking gloomy as hell, and it totally threw off his great mood. Mark signaled for him to come over. He didn't really like the intern, but Addison did, and so, Mark figured he might as well be nice. Wow, he was trying to be nice? See, that's the effect Izzie was having on him. And in only two days. Man, the woman knew how to work.

'What's wrong, Karev,' Mark asked in a bored voice. He wasn't at all interested and it was painfully clear.

'Nothing,' Alex replied and he ordered a beer.

'Really? Nothing? Then why are you here instead of upstairs having sex with Addison?' Mark asked him and Alex's shoulders seem to slump down even lower than they were when he walked in, if that was even possible.

'I haven't told her yet,' he stated depressingly.

'So why the hell aren't you with her right now, telling her?' he questioned and Alex looked up at him.

'I don't know what to say anymore. I had it all planned out earlier, but then I someone interrupted and then I acted like a complete ass and now…and now I just don't know anymore,' he rambled on and ended very quietly.

'Karev, you're an idiot.'

'Excuse me?' Alex sat straighter. No one insulted him.

'Who cares what you did? Do feel any differently about her now than you did before you were an ass?' Alex shook his head in response. 'Then whatever you planned on telling her shouldn't be any different either,' he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He took a sip of his drink and let Alex think about it.

'Thanks,' Alex said suddenly. He hated to admit that Mark was right, but in this case, he had no choice. He definitely had a point. Now Alex felt stupid. He stood up abruptly and charged the beer to his room. He left the bar, determined to tell Addison exactly what he had originally intended to tell her.

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The elevator ride had never been so long, yet so short at the same time. He wanted to get upstairs quickly, so he could burst into his room and tell the red-haired beauty everything. The quicker he told her, the quicker he could kiss her. That is, if she responds in kind. But now, he really didn't have any doubts. However, he was still nervous, which is why he really didn't want the elevator to get upstairs. Once those doors opened, he would have to face the woman of his dreams and tell her how he felt. It was embarrassing and nerve-wracking at the same time. Plus, he really didn't know what to say. Okay, so he knew what to say. He had it all planned out in his head. But he just had this feeling that he was going to forget, which was totally stupid. It wasn't really hard: I'm falling for you; I'm falling in love with you; I'm so interested it hurts; I want to be with you; whatever, it didn't matter exactly as long as the message came through.

And suddenly the elevator doors opened. And his heart was beating so hard against his chest, it was hurting him. It felt like it was going to burst at any second. The corridor leading to their room seemed awfully long. Like in the movies, where someone's having a nightmare, and they're stuck in a hall that just gets longer and longer no matter how much you run. The door just keeps getting further and further away from your reach. It felt like that. But worst, because it wasn't a nightmare. It was real. It was all too real.

Alex reached room number 1599 and he took out his key. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, straightened his shirt a little, and took a deep breath. He had it planned, he had it memorized. He was just going to walk in and tell her. He unlocked the door and turned the handle. He pushed the door open and walked in, keeping his eyes on the ground until the door was closed. He turned around and found himself face to face with her. She was standing, in her pajamas, a few feet away. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was at a loss for words. All of his planning-down the drain. He couldn't remember anything. All he saw was her.

Addison stood, staring at Alex before her. She had been reading when she had heard the knob jiggle on the other side of the door. She had gotten up quickly to meet him. She had decided earlier that tonight was the night she would tell him. She would do it, because apparently, he wasn't going to. But when she saw him standing there, seeming as though he wanted to say something, she changed her mind. She really wanted him to say it first, because after all, he had said he wasn't interested, and if she just told him how she felt, it seemed a little pathetic. She'd be like some old woman who got rejected by a cute young boy but couldn't get over him. She didn't want to be that. She looked at him expectantly but he looked frozen. She took a step forward, getting closer to him, but still maintaining a good distance between them.

'Alex,' she said quietly, barely over a whisper.

'I…' was the only word he managed to get out.

Alex felt like the biggest moron in the world. _Do something, idiot!_ If he had said something, anything, it would have been better. But now, standing there, mute, unmoving, he felt like the stupidest person ever. She was there, right in front of him. He had her undivided attention. He could tell her everything and he knew she would hear him. This was his chance, his big moment. _The_ moment, and if he didn't do something soon, it would be gone.

Silence stretched on forever. Well…okay…it might have only been a few seconds…but it certainly felt like forever. Addison didn't know what to do anymore. But she felt strongly attracted to him, literally. She felt a kind of magnetism at that moment. She was being drawn to him, and she could do nothing to stop it. She was stepping forward and he wasn't moving back. Suddenly, there was hardly any space between them. And then there was none.

Alex really wasn't sure what had just happened. It was a sort of blur to him. One second he's trying desperately to figure out what to say, and then next, their lips are meeting in the softest of kisses. Gentle, delicate even, and he can't even believe its Addison he's kissing. It's the woman he's been thinking about nonstop for months, kissing him. Kissing him! Forget the plan. Forget the speech he had all prepared. This was _so_ much better.

Their kiss went from slow to rushed and heated. God, her lips were so soft. All the sexual tension that had built up over the past few months was finally being released. They were fused together. It was as if they thought if they broke apart, they would never be able to do this again, or maybe they'd realize it was a dream. When they did break apart, because you could only go so long without air, neither opened their eyes. Alex placed one last soft kiss upon her lips and finally opened his eyes, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't see regret in the blue-green ones in front of him.

'I'm falling in love with you,' he whispered. He blurted it out. He felt as if e didn't say it now, he would regret it. Finally, it was out.

She already knew this. Derek had told her. Although she had had her doubts about it. But no, after _that_ kiss, she was sure. She could actually _feel_ how much he cared for her in his kiss. She hoped he could feel that from her too.

She was so happy right now. There were no words to describe the feeling of euphoria she was experiencing at this very moment. He had said it. _He_ had said it. Not Derek, but him. It meant a hell of a lot more coming from him than it did from her ex-husband.

'I'm falling in love with you, too,' she whispered back before joining their lips together once more.


	14. Doubt and Uncertainty

_**A/N:** Heyy! Here is another chapter...and I have to say...it's not very eventful. Actually, nothing really happens. But it's got sooo much Addex! Next chapter, I hope, will have more action...we'll see. Anyways, I'm pretty impressed with myself because it hasn't been too long since I last updated! Yay! Okay...stop reading my rambling and read this chapter+review :)_

* * *

_Chapter 14-Doubt and Uncertainty _

The sun shone through the window of the Honeymoon Suite. It was early morning, and although Alex was tired, because _someone_ had kept him up all night, he was wide awake. He usually liked to sleep in. Well, he liked to sleep in if he could, which wasn't that often, being a surgical intern and all. But this morning, Alex was up at the crack of dawn. He had been thinking nonstop ever since then. He had been thinking about the incredible night he had just had. He had been thinking about the gorgeous woman who was lying naked beneath the same sheets as he. He had been thinking of how damn lucky he was to have her there and how amazing she was…in every way…he had learned a few new amazing things about her last night…Finally, he was thinking of what she had said, right before she jumped him: '_I'm falling in love with you, too' _.

Alex had been so relieved to hear those words coming from her. Sure, he pretty much already knew it…it was the way she looked at him; you couldn't help but see it. But there was always that fear of rejection. She could easily have said: '_It won't work, you're my intern,_' or maybe '_You said you weren't interested, I've moved on,_' or even '_I have no idea what you're talking about'_. He had hurt her, he knew it, he regretted it, but hey, what could he do about that now? Besides, none of that mattered anymore, because she was falling in love with him, and he with her. They were now officially a couple…okay, maybe not. Does one night of incredible sex make you a couple? No…he didn't think so…but the 'love' part of this probably did. He wanted them to be a couple. He hoped she would reciprocate. But what if she didn't? Damn. More uncertainty. This was one of the many reasons Alex Karev was not a commitment kind of guy. There was so much second-guessing, doubt; it was just too much to deal with. This was usually the moment where he would freak out, run away, panic, but not this time. Addison Montgomery was worth all of it. There was no doubt about _that_.

He felt her stir next to him. As much as he wanted her to wake up, for her wanted to see her beautiful eyes looking at him, he loved to watch her sleep. She looked so innocent and child-like. He thought it was incredibly cute. She opened her eyes slightly and yawned, stretching out and brushing her leg against his in the process. He couldn't help but smile at her. It would appear as thought she hadn't even realized that she was naked, and that he was there, with her, also naked. Obviously, she was still a bit hazy.

Addison squinted at the light of the sun in the room. She missed the dark curtains of her own hotel room. She loved the sun, she really did, and she didn't mind when it woke her up. But she had gotten used to the Seattle weather, the dark mornings, the gloomy atmosphere, and now, the sun was just pissing her off. She had no idea what time it was, but she was sure it was not time to wake up. She stretched out, and felt something rub against her calf. She froze. She opened her eyes up fully, and looked to her side, only to find Alex staring down at her, grinning madly.

Damn, she was so cute. Alex reached out to gently caress the side of her face with one hand. He couldn't believe that he could touch her now without hesitation. He could stare at her freely and not worry about her catching him…or anyone else catching him for that matter. She was his now.

Last night's events came flooding back and Addison blushed. It had been a pretty…wild…night. Six months of sexual tension will do that to you. She smiled when she felt Alex's hand on her face. She leaned into his touch and her eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds.

'Hey gorgeous,' Alex whispered softly. Addison opened her eyes once more to look at him. They twinkled with joy.

Addison propped herself up on her elbow to be at eyelevel with him. She leaned in so that their lips were almost touching. Almost, but not quite.

'Hi,' she replied, before kissing him softly. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her on top of him.

'What time is it?' she asked him, after they had broken the kiss. She let out a yawn and he smiled at her.

'It's eight,' he answered and patted down her hair. He wanted to laugh at how crazy it looked from last night's _events_.

'Why is it so sunny?' she whined in response while rolling off of him. She buried her face in her pillow to shield her eyes from the sunlight.

'We're in the Bahamas; it's supposed to be sunny,' he said in a teasing voice. Addison looked up briefly from her pillow to give him a dirty look.

'Yeah, but why does it have to be sunny so early?' she said while putting her face back in the pillow.

Alex was falling more and more in love with her with each passing second. She was so adorable. This was a completely new side of her. She was always so composed, but now, she was being whiny, and although usually, that wasn't a very attractive trait, he thought she wore it well.

'Come on, let's get ready and go have breakfast,' he suggested. When she didn't react, he bent down, pulled back the hair that was falling on her back, and started leaving butterfly kisses on her skin.

'Addison,' he said in a singsong voice in between kisses. She giggled once. And then again. And again, until she was in full-fledged laughter. She rolled over pulling him onto her, still laughing. They were laughing together, staring at each other lovingly. But then the laughter died, and it was replaced by silence. However, it was the most comfortable silence either of them had ever experienced. Alex lowered in face towards hers, never breaking the eye contact.

'You're so beautiful,' he whispered against her mouth before fusing his with it in a passionate kiss.

A few minutes later, she pulled away. She smiled shyly at him and blushed slightly. He smirked down at her.

'I'm hungry,' she announced all of a sudden. He rolled off of her and got up from the bed.

'Let's get ready then,' he said, holding out his hand to her.

'Okay,' she said whilst smiling. She took hold of his hand and let him pull her up.

She blushed suddenly, only realizing now that she was fully naked, and that he was too. She laughed nervously and ran into the bathroom. Alex was close behind.

They wouldn't make it to breakfast. They'd have brunch instead.

* * *

'And then the whole thing cracked and she looked like a freak!' Izzie squealed to George and burst out laughing. 

'No, Callie, you didn't?!' George said, spitting out some of his orange juice in the process.

'Ew, George, food goes in, not out. I do not need to see stuff coming out of your nose,' Cristina spat out at him from across the table.

'Yeah, I actually did…' Callie mumbled in embarrassment. She had thought Izzie was going to keep their whole _thing_ last night to herself…as in not tell George. She was wrong.

'Aw, Callie, don't be embarrassed. It was funny,' Izzie said reassuringly.

'Right,' she muttered and turned her attention away from George and Izzie. It was just too nauseating. 'Pssst, Derek!' she hissed.

'What?' he asked confused. He turned away from Meredith for a moment to look at her.

'Do you have any idea where Addison is?' she asked concerned. Derek raised his eyebrows suggestively in response, and Callie gasped.

'No! You don't think…'

'That they actually did it? Yeah!' Derek said excited.

'Actually did what?' Addison asked mischievously just as she and Alex arrived at the group's usual table. They were both beaming, even kind of glowing.

Everyone at the table turned to look at them. Addison and Alex chose to ignore them and took their respective seats. They kept smiling softly at each other, which did not go unnoticed by the others.

'So…?' Callie probed. She was nudging Addison's side with her elbow.

'So what?' Addison countered coolly.

'Addison, don't do this,' Callie sighed as she gave her friend a desperate and pleading look.

'Don't do what? I'm not doing anything!' she replied. She was hardly paying attention to Callie; her focus was someone else.

'Just tell me already! Did you do it or what?!'

Addison rolled her eyes and turned towards her. She raised one eyebrow that said: '_What do you think?'_

'You did?' Callie almost yelled. Her eyes were round and she was grinning like an idiot.

'Yes, okay. Now stop making that face. You look ridiculous,' she said impatiently but she couldn't help but smile herself.

'I didn't think you had it in you!' Callie told her excitedly.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Addison asked indignantly.

'It means you're a chicken shit, and I never thought you'd actually do it,' Callie explained rationally.

'I am not,' Addison said while crossing her arms on her chest. Callie rolled her eyes.

'And now you're being a baby,' she informed her, smirking.

'Shut up,' Addison mumbled as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table and took a huge bite.

* * *

'Alex…' 

'Mmm?'

'Did you…'

'What?'

'Did you…you know…'

'Dude, spit it out.'

'Did you and Addison sleep together last night?' Izzie blurted out. Alex almost choked on his toast.

'Excuse me?' he gasped.

'You heard me,' she said as she rolled her eyes.

'Um, that's kind of a personal question…' he started but she gave him a look to shut him up.

'Whatever. We're friends. I've been helping you! I should know!' she reasoned. It made perfect sense in her head.

'How have you been helping?' he raised his eyebrows at her.

'I've been giving you advice!'

'Actually, your boyfriend's the one who helped me,' Alex informed her.

'Mark?' she asked confused.

'No, your other boyfriend,' he said sarcastically. 'Yes Mark.'

'What did he say?' she asked curiously, while watching Mark from across the table. He was so cute.

'It doesn't really matter now. What matters is everything's good,' Alex replied and her looked at Addison who was eating an apple. She was pouting slightly and she had bit of juice running down her chin. He had the biggest urge to go over there and lick it off.

'Oh, so does that mean you two sealed the deal?' she asked while biting her bottom lip and smiling broadly.

'Yes, Iz,' he relented, sighing.

'Oh my gosh! That's so great Alex!' she leaned in and gave him a big hug, which made Addison _and_ Mark turn away from other conversations to observe.

Addison wanted to throw her apple at Izzie. It's not like she was jealous…or insecure. She knew now that Alex was hers and that he didn't feel that way about her anymore. But that was precisely the point: Alex was _hers_. What the hell was Isobel Stevens doing hugging her man?

Mark however, didn't _know_ that Izzie wanted him for sure. I mean, yeah, they had been talking and flirting and even kind of dating for the past few days…but they were only days. She and Alex had known each other for a much longer time and they had been through a lot together. Maybe Izzie was just flirting with him to replace Alex…Maybe she really wanted him and not Mark. Maybe she was using him. Maybe he had set himself up to get his heart broken…

Mark looked away, as he couldn't bear to see Izzie's arms around that son of a bitch. And to think he had helped him with his Addison problem. Addison…what about her? His gaze traveled to the redhead, who was chewing her apple vigorously. She was glaring at Izzie. He could've laughed if he hadn't been so upset.

The hug only lasted a few seconds, but for Addison and Mark, it seemed like a lifetime. Addison was about to get up from her chair and slap that bitch. Okay…she might have been overreacting a little bit…but she had a right to be mad…right? Gosh, now she felt ashamed of herself. She should trust that Alex wants _her_ and not Izzie. She should think it's nice that he has good friends. But she was so afraid of losing him. She was scared he would jump at the chance to be with Izzie again. Ah! Callie was right: she was a chicken shit, and a baby.

'Iz!' Alex hissed as she pulled back. He was desperately avoiding Addison's gaze. During the hug, he had been trying to push Izzie away, discretely over course. He didn't want to hurt her feelings after all. He had felt Addison staring at him even though he had been looking at the table the entire time. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong, but he felt so guilty.

'What's up with you?' Izzie answered, starting to get angry with him.

'You can't just…hug me…' he tried to explain but he realized he sounded stupid so he stopped.

'What? Why not? We're friends and I was trying to show you that I'm happy for you. This is how you repay me? You're such an ass,' she accused and Alex was a little taken aback by her remark.

'Izzie,' he started loud but lowered his voice to avoid attracting attention. He knew that Addison and Mark were looking at them, but so far, no one else. 'Addison and I got in a fight yesterday because she thought I still…you know…had feelings for you…I don't want her to get the wrong impression again…' he whispered to her. His eyes were pleading with her. He really didn't want to screw things up with Addison once more.

Izzie mouth was forming a perfect 'o'. Now she felt bad. She realized now how it must have looked to Addison when she hugged Alex. She blushed slightly and gave Alex an apologetic look. Oh and what about Mark? Did he think she had the hots for Alex too? Crap. Had she messed things up with him? Had she just ended two relationships with one hug? No. She had to be positive. Mark would understand…hopefully. It's not like she had done anything wrong. She had hugged her friend. There's nothing wrong with that. It had probably looked wrong though…she was going to apologize…even if she thought it wasn't that big of a deal. But she could see Mark out of the corner of her eye, and he looked miserable. Obviously, it was a big deal to him. He was so sensitive once you got to know him. She'd have to be more careful from now on.

'I'm sorry!' she whispered back to Alex, and he nodded in acceptance. 'I hadn't realized…'

'It's okay,' he mumbled.

Alex finally convinced himself to look up at Addison. She was really killing that apple. He smiled nervously at her and she lifted a brow at him. This was stupid. It really was. There was nothing going on between him and Izzie. He and Addison had been together for a little over twelve hours and they were already fighting! This couldn't be a good sign. Oh God, here come's the doubt and the uncertainty again.

Addison saw him smiling at her. She wanted to laugh now. A few seconds earlier she had wanted to punch somebody, but now, seeing his little smirk trying to get her to forgive him, it was funny. Although she realized there was nothing to forgive him for. He hadn't done anything, and she had to remind herself of that. She thought it was sweet though, that even though he hadn't done anything, he felt guilty, and he felt the need to apologize. Unless he had done something…what if he had enjoyed the hug a little too much? What if he was thinking of sleeping with her the entire time she was pressed against him? What if he had been inhaling the scent of her hair and thinking how much better it smelled than her own? No. Stop it. She was being ridiculous. This whole thing was ridiculous. She wasn't going to freak out over nothing, because that's what it was: nothing.

Alex let out the breath he had been holding when he saw her smile back. It looked a little forced but it was genuine nonetheless. The nerves were gone, and were replaced by the familiar butterflies that he always got when she smiled like that. Everything was okay.

* * *

She had asked him to go for a walk. He had wanted to say no. He had wanted to give her the cold shoulder. He had wanted to turn her down and make her feel bad. But he just couldn't. When he looked into those big brown eyes, he just melted. He had said yes, immediately. In fact, he had accepted so willingly that she was a bit surprised. Yes, Isobel Stevens had Mark Sloan whipped. 

'Mark, listen,' Izzie started once they were far enough from the breakfast table.

Oh no. That is the worst conversation starter ever. What follows is usually something like _It's been fun, but let's be serious, this won't work_, or sometimes _It's not you, it's me_, or even the one he was dreading right now, the one he was actually expecting: _There's someone else_. He couldn't even fathom the thought of losing her right now. Sure, they had only _been together_ for like two days. But whatever. He was Mark Sloan and he didn't fall for girls easily. He slept with them and left them. But with Izzie, he didn't want to do that. Of course he wanted to sleep with her, but it didn't feel necessary right now. He would actually wait for her. He liked talking with her, and just being around her and so the physical, didn't feel as essential right now. But that might have been stupid of him. She was going to dump him, which was going to break his heart, and he won't even have slept with her. Damn, he was losing his touch.

'Yeah…?' he said slowly, not wanting to meet her intense stare.

'Alex and I...'

'Yeah,' he repeated. He knew it was the end now.

'There's nothing going on,' she ended.

'What?' he asked looking at her now. Maybe there was hope.

'I was just hugging him because I was happy that he and Addison finally hooked up,' she explained rather quickly, making it hard for him to comprehend. But he got it, every last word and he was thrilled. He didn't even answer. He grabbed her and kissed her so passionately that she was momentarily stunned. That only lasted a second. Then she was kissing him back with as much, if not more passion.

Things were getting heated until Izzie realized that they were in a very public place…surrounded by families…who have kids…young kids…and oh my God. This was so embarrassing. She blushed furiously and pulled back from Mark's embrace.

'Is something wrong?' he asked.

'No…it's just…let's go somewhere more private,' she suggested, her face still flushed partly because of the kiss and partly because of the people that were watching.

'Yeah sure,' he responded eagerly as he took her hand gently and led her to the lobby. He was going to have sex with Izzie Stevens. This was great! And to think that he was worrying about her dumping him a few minutes earlier. This was not what he had been expecting…it was so much better!

* * *

'Hey, where did Izzie and McSteamy go?' Cristina asked suddenly. The pair had been missing for over twenty minutes. 

'They went for a walk,' Preston answered.

'I don't think they're walking anymore…' Meredith put in quietly.

'What do you mean?' Derek asked her.

'Well, I saw them running towards the lobby about five minutes ago,' she explained.

'Izzie and Dr. Sloan?' George stuttered out.

'Yeah, they're kind of a couple now,' Addison said.

'When you say couple, do you mean like they're doing each other?' Cristina asked.

'No, I mean they actually like each other and they've been talking and stuff,' Addison explained herself and Cristina laughed.

'Seriously? Barbie and McSteamy a couple?'

'Cristina, come on. They're cute together,' Meredith said.

'Yeah, whatever. They'll make beautiful blonde babies,' she replied dryly.

'Mark isn't blonde,' Derek said.

'Well, it's like mousy…brownish …' Meredith said while gazing upwards as if trying to picture his hair.

'It's getting kind of gray nowadays,' Addison added, which made Alex smirk. 'What?' she asked him.

'I don't have gray hair,' he said, still smirking. She rolled her eyes at him but she couldn't help but grin at him.

'So you guys finally did it, huh?' Derek said while looking between the two of them. He already knew it was true-that much was obvious-but he wanted to be sure.

'What are you talking about?' Addison replied but she was blushing. Derek laughed and Meredith smiled. Cristina simply made a gagging sound and Preston seem to remain indifferent but a small smile had crept up on his face.

'Addie, just admit it, will you?' Derek exclaimed.

'Yes, Addison, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You and Karev make a…cute couple,' Preston added teasingly, while smirking slightly.

'I beg to differ. Evil Spawn and Satan?' Cristina said while ending with a choking sound a gesture.

'Shut it, Crack Whore,' Alex threw at her suddenly. His eyes were blazing and he had a finger pointed towards her.

Cristina simply shrugged. She rolled her eyes at him and turned towards Meredith to continue the conversation that she and Meredith had begun earlier. However, Alex wouldn't have any of it.

'Yang, I wasn't done,' he said icily.

'Yeah well I was,' she responded glancing at him for barely a second.

'I had told you to stop calling her Satan,' he said, ignoring her previous comment.

'Alex, really, it's fine,' Addison tried to tell him but he wasn't listening.

'Aw, poor Alex doesn't like it when I insult his little girlfriend,' Cristina taunted.

Alex got up from the table and slammed his fists down onto it, creating a loud noise. The occupants of the table jumped in surprise as the glasses of orange juice shook and a few almost fell. Alex's nostrils were flaring and he looked like he was about to pounce on Cristina.

'Alex, it's okay. Just calm down,' Addison attempted once more to calm him down. He looked at her briefly, softening a bit after seeing the concern in her eyes. But he wasn't letting this one go. Yang was going to stop calling Addison Satan; or else.

'No, it's not okay. I don't insult her relationship, and I certainly don't insult Burke,' he said to her, although the message was directed to Cristina.

Cristina was about to reply with a quick-witted remark but Preston silenced her with a quiet: 'Cristina.' She looked at him impatiently for a few moments. The two seemed to be having a silent eye dual. In the end, Preston won, and Cristina, having lost, slid down further into her chair and crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest.

Alex was still mad. He left the table and stomped away towards the beach. Addison looked shocked and slightly embarrassed at his outburst. Although, she couldn't help but think it was sweet. He was defending her, and it made her feel special.

'Addison, go after him!' Callie said to her, breaking her away from her reverie.

'Me?' she asked stupidly.

'Yeah, you,' Derek answered while giving her a funny look.

'Yeah, sure, okay…' Addison replied hesitantly while getting up from the table. She walked in the direction Alex had moments before, staring awkwardly around her for signs of him.

'So, how about those eggs? Way to runny for my taste!' Meredith said abruptly, changing the subject. They looked at her like she was crazy, and then they laughed at her.

* * *

She found him standing by the beach, staring out at the water. She came up behind him slowly, not sure if he was still in his furious state. She put a hand tentatively on his shoulder and when he didn't flinch or pull away, she relaxed. 

'Hey,' she whispered softly.

'I'm sorry,' he said immediately. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

'For what?'

'For embarrassing you. I just…I hate it when she calls you that,' he mumbled, his back still turned to her.

'It doesn't matter. It was kind of cute having you stand up for me,' she said smiling sweetly.

Alex turned around and took her in his arms, hugging her fiercely. She welcomed it and hugged back, just as strongly, loving the feel of his arms around her. He kissed her forehead and sighed. She smiled and reached up to place a kiss upon his lips. The two stayed locked like this for a while, before making their way back to the table, hand in hand.

Alex had no more doubts about her. She was perfect. Whoever said the perfection didn't exist was wrong. She was living proof. He had never felt this way about anyone in his life. He was certain of that.

* * *

Noticeable801 


	15. Rudeness & Roses

_A/N: Okay. I know. I got some s'plainin' to do. Not that you really care...but I feel like I owe you all an explanation. I am aware that it's been like 2 months since my last update. I feel really bad about it. At first I was just lazy...and then exam time rolled around and I was just freaking out about that right...and then, I was suffering from extreme writer's block...I still am actually...but I hope you still enjoy this chapter. And if you do, I would love to hear what you have to say. Soooo, read, enjoy...and forgive me please:) _

_Chapter 15-Rudeness & Roses _

'Izzie! Where have you been?' George asked her as she waltzed back into the lobby, seemingly floating on air.

'Nowhere…' she replied awkwardly, her eye flying everywhere. 'I was just…um…you know…I…'

'Whatever, it doesn't matter. Nigel is going to throw a fit if we're not there for the next activity!!' he said quickly and motioned for her to follow him.

Izzie groaned. The activities were…fun…kind of…okay, not so much. But she really did feel that they were helping everyone get closer together. She and Callie were talking; Addison and Derek had stopped arguing; Burke and George seemed to be on good terms; Addison and Alex had finally hooked up! Seriously! This was really helping. It was. Be that as it may, it wasn't a very pleasurable thing. Speaking of pleasure…she would much rather have been back in her hotel room with Mark. They had only left because they were sure the others were starting to speculate downstairs…although it was all too obvious what was going on between them.

Izzie and George arrived back at the dinner table and took their seats. Everyone looked at Izzie pointedly and she blushed, keeping her eyes down. The fork before her now seemed incredibly interesting. Alex opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Nigel came running towards their table.

'Hello!' he said cheerfully but slightly out of breath. They groaned in response.

Mark attempted to sneak into his seat without anyone seeing him. No such luck. He knew it was obvious where he had been…and with whom. There really was no point in trying to hide it. He had just had sex with a really hot woman. He should be proud of it. He should be standing up straight and tall. And so he did. He marched up to the table and took his seat, plastering a huge grin on his face.

Izzie blushed when she saw Mark approaching. She thought they had agreed on keeping it a secret. But _apparently_, he had changed his mind, because that stupid grin on his face was quite easy to read. She blushed furiously and threw him a dirty look.

'Dr. Sloan!' Nigel exclaimed while glaring at Mark.

'Sorry,' he muttered and cast his eyes downward. His grin faded quickly.

'May I ask what caused your tardiness?' he questioned seriously. Izzie looked up at Mark trying to catch his attention. He saw the look she was giving him, and understood it perfectly. Her eyes were clearly saying '_Keep your mouth shut or else you're never having sex with me again_'. He cleared his throat to show that he had gotten the message.

'Um…no,' Mark replied rather sheepishly.

Derek wanted to laugh so bad at this moment. He could hardly contain it. It was incredibly hilarious to see Mark being interrogated. It reminded him of medical school as Mark would always get blamed for the things they did. Derek coughed a little, in an attempt to stifle his giggles. Mark threw him a look that was anything but warm.

'No?' Nigel continued. 'Unless you have a valid reason for being late, there will be severe consequences, young man.' His eyes were bulging. He looked like a blown up toad ready to explode.

It was too much for Derek. He burst out laughing, and Addison quickly followed. Soon, the entire table, save for Mark of course, was laughing hysterically. This seemed to be a common occurrence these days. If it were humanly possible to explode, Nigel would have at this very moment.

'My good man,' Preston managed to let out in between chuckles. 'I mean no disrespect, but shouldn't you be glad that we all seem to be getting along this well?'

Nigel pondered this for a moment before smiling to himself, seeming swelling with pride.

'Yes, I suppose I should. Well, seeing as you've all made such progress, thanks to my genius work, I will let Dr. Sloan go with a warning,' Nigel announced excitedly. He clasped his hands together and beamed at the ten doctors before him. Mark grunted. He was ready to slap up this little annoying man's face.

'Is something wrong, Dr. Sloan? Would you rather have a full punishment?' Nigel asked sternly. Mark could only look at him as if he were crazy…which he probably was.

Mark was about to respond with a snippy comeback but someone kicked him in the leg beneath the table. He shifted his gaze up to find Izzie glaring at him. He gave her a pointed look and turned his attention back to the twit before him….sorry, _Nigel_.

'I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually like this,' Mark said, his voice dripping with so much sarcasm that Izzie thought she was going to hurl. She rolled her eyes instead and kicked him again, with more force. Mark held back a groan. He was surely going to bruise.

'It won't happen again,' he finished in a normal tone, casting his eyes downwards.

'Glad to hear it,' Nigel replied brightly. 'Now, another day, another activity!'

'Do we really have to?' Meredith threw in. The entire table turned to look at her. Nigel seemed to ready to kill her. 'I mean, your activities…they're…_great_. Really, really great. But like Dr. Burke said, we're getting along so well…is there really any point to all this anymore?' she finished explaining herself, hoping it was enough to make Nigel stop staring at her as if she had just killed his puppy.

Derek nodded in agreement, sensing she needed backup on this. He turned to the other occupants of the table. They all nodded vigorously.

'Yeah, we could just enjoy the beauty of this place,' Alex added to strengthen Meredith's argument.

'That would be great,' Addison spoke up. Alex gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table, to which she responded with a soft smile.

Meredith turned to look at them and smiled gratefully. She had really thought that Nigel was going to bite her head off. _Open mouth; Insert foot_.

'So you all feel this way?' Nigel asked bitterly. His face was twitching slightly.

The group mumbled their agreement and looked away. Twitching-Nigel was a little hard to handle.

'I see,' he said sadly. 'I'm sorry you feel that way. Unfortunately for you, it's of no importance. We shall continue on with the activities,' he concluded triumphantly.

All then doctors groaned in unison. They had really thought he was going to cave. For a tiny second, they had thought themselves free. So much for that.

'Today's activity is about being open with one another,' he started once more in the most authoritative voice he could muster.

'Didn't we already cover the openness with the '_I hate this; I love this_' crap?' Cristina blurted out loudly.

'That was honesty,' Nigel replied harshly. 'This is completely different.'

'I don't see the difference,' Cristina continued on indignantly.

'Yeah, me neither,' Alex said, raising his hand to make a point.

'Shut up! Would all of you just shut up!?' Nigel screamed. They shrunk a little in their seats.

They had done it. They had really done it. They had succeeded in making the tiny man crack. He had officially lost it. They had kept pushing, knowing that it would eventually come to this, until he fell of the edge. His eyes were red and bulging and he was quivering from head to toe in anger. This was supposed to be funny. Hilarious even. Yet it wasn't.

'We're…sorry,' Addison spoke first. Her voice was small and timid.

'Yes, that was very disrespectful of us,' Preston continued for her.

'Thank you,' Nigel managed to say. His breathing slowly became regular again and he stopped shaking as much. When he was fully calm once more he said: 'Now, where was I?'

'You were telling us about the great activity you have planned for us today,' Izzie told him while offering a genuine smile.

'Thank you, Dr. Stevens. Yes, today, we will be learning about openness and be able to laugh at yourself. I have a special board game prepared for you all. I'm sure you'll find it quite enjoyable, as I made it myself,' he explained while finishing proudly.

'Okay…so what exactly is the object of this game?' Callie asked curiously. This _activity _didn't seem all that bad. It might actually turn out to be fun.

'That's a very good question, Dr. Torres. And to answer it, it's like any other board game: you want to get from the start area to the end. First one to get there wins a special prize for him or her and a friend of choice.'

'Cool,' Alex said, while the others nodded.

* * *

Nigel led them to a special game room. It was more private which was great because the other residents of the hotel did not need to witness any more scenes created by the staff of Seattle Grace Hospital. 

The game room was black with a large glass table in the center. Around the table were ten comfortable looking chairs. But it was what was _on_ the table that was attracting all the attention. Placed in the center of said table, was a very large game full of colorful patterns and shapes.

Nigel let them pick out their own seats this one time, seeing as he too tired of hearing them complain so much.

'Everyone rolls the dice and moves forward the amount he or she has rolled,' he commenced telling them the rules. 'There are 4 different kinds of tiles. The yellow ones force you to share a personal story with everyone about your past. The blue ones ask that you reveal something to the others that they do not know. If you land on a green tile, you must pick a card from the question pile, and answer the question on it, _honestly_. Finally, there are mystery tiles that go with the _mystery cards_. Those can be anything,' he finished.

'Anything?' George asked as he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

'Yes, anything,' Nigel responded while smiling.

'Scared, Bambi?' Alex whispered to George. Cristina snorted at that, and Addison hit him.

'Alex, stop being a jerk,' she told him. He nodded and muttered an apology to George.

'Whipped,' coughed Mark. Everyone giggled.

'But wait,' Preston interjected suddenly. 'Weren't Dr. Sloan and I supposed to pick teams for the next activity?'

'Oh yeah,' Mark said while grinning evilly.

'Yes, well, as you can see, this game has no teams,' Nigel replied condescendingly. Alex smirked while Cristina laughed mockingly. 'You'll get to make the teams the next time that there are teams to make.'

'Oh, okay,' Mark replied embarrassed.

'Now, it's time to start the game!' Nigel brought the attention back onto himself. He took out some dice and gave them to Preston.

'Have fun!'

And with that he was gone. Preston looked at the dice in his hands. He closed them between both his hands and shook them for a good half minute. Finally, he released them. _Seven_. He took the little game piece that had his name on it and moved it seven spaces forward. _Blue_.

'So, Preston, what don't we know about you?' Derek asked while casually leaning back in his chair.

Preston stayed quiet for a few moments before opening his mouth to speak: 'I'm a very good dancer. I took dance lessons all my childhood.'

They stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds before bursting out in roars of laughter.

'Seriously?' Mark asked incredulous.

'You do know this means we have to break-up, right?' Cristina announced to him while giving him a disgusted look.

'No, guys. Stop,' Meredith spoke loudly to be heard over the laughter. 'This thing is about openness, and it's really hard to be open if you know you're going to be judged. So, Preston, I think that's kind of weird, but I'm glad you shared,' she finished and the room was silent once more.

'Thank you, Meredith,' he said in appreciation. She nodded. 'So who's next?' he asked casually. His turn was over. Now it was time to watch others face the shame.

Meredith took the dice from him and rolled them. A perfect twelve. Great, a green square. At least with yellow or blue, she can pick what information she wants to divulge but with green, she has to answer what is asked.

Izzie took a card from the pile marked _questions_. She read it herself first and her eyes bulged slightly. Great. That made Meredith feel fantastic.

'Um…what's your favorite sexual position….?' She asked rather awkwardly.

'What?' Meredith gasped in shock.

'Oh please don't make me say it again,' Izzie exclaimed.

'What your favorite position, Mer?' Derek asked her this time, inching closer to her. 'I bet I know.'

'Um…no…you don't,' she said slowly while turning a bright shade of pink.

'What?' Derek questioned confused.

'You...um…don't know which one it is…because we've…um…we've never tried it,' she finished coyly. Derek's eyebrows furrowed until they looked like one.

'So spill, Grey,' Alex persisted.

'It's…doggy style…' she whispered. Everyone looked at her stunned.

'Really?' Mark asked, smirking. 'Wouldn't have pictured you for a doggy style kind of girl.'

'Yeah, me neither,' Derek spoke this time. He looked a little angry.

'Derek…'

'Why didn't you just tell me, Meredith?' he asked, his eyes softening.

'I…I don't know…I just-'

'Whoa, Grey, I think we've heard enough,' Callie interrupted suddenly. 'How about you two talk about this later…as in like privately,' she elaborated.

'But what about the openness?' Mark countered wanting to see where this was leading.

'There's enough openness as it is, pervert,' she responded. That shut him up.

'Okay,' Derek said as he took the dice from Meredith and rolled them. He also landed on a green tile. Addison took a card this time.

'Okay, Derek. Where was the craziest place you've ever had sex and with who?' Addison read.

'These questions are really sexually oriented…' George pointed out, to which Meredith nodded.

'Derek,' Preston urged.

'Yes, _Preston_, I was getting to it,' Derek said getting slightly frustrated. 'Hm...It was…in one of those five minute photo booths…with Addison,' he added the last party quietly.

'Seriously?' Alex asked while ignoring Derek and turning to face Addison.

'Um, yeah,' she replied while looking away.

'Did you guys actually take pictures?' Callie asked.

'Yeah…' Derek admitted.

'Do you still have them?' Cristina asked, very interested.

'Enough! He answered. Let's move on, shall we?' Addison said while lifting her hands up in frustration. Her cheeks were tinted with red from embarrassment.

'Sure, Adds, your turn,' Mark said as he passed her the dice.

She took them and rolled an eleven. She put her game piece on the designated tile…which just happened to be a mystery square. She cursed inwardly because the card could ask her to do _anything_.

Mark picked up the card. The room was silent. They were all wondering what could possibly be on that card. Although, at the moment, the only person who knew was Mark.

'It says: If you have a lover at the table, kiss him or her like today is your last day together.'

Addison thought she was going to die. She really cared about Alex. She really did. But they had been together for less than a day and she wasn't ready for everyone to see them together. But she had no choice now. This was about being open and she didn't want that one person that didn't follow through on her challenge. Addison Forbes Montgomery didn't back down or give up.

She got up from her seat and pulled Alex up with her by the hand. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

'Addison, we don't have to do this if you don't want to,' he whispered to her but she shook her head. She silenced him with her lips. He responded immediately by pressing his tongue to her lips. She allowed him entrance into her mouth. They kissed hurriedly for a minute until she slowed the kiss.

The group of doctors watched on guiltily. They knew it was rude to stare but it was quite fascinating to watch. The kiss was now slow and languid. The passion between them was evident almost to an excruciating extent. Finally they broke apart and Addison looked up at Alex with so much emotion in her eyes that for a moment he thought she was going to cry. But then her face broke into a huge grin that he mirrored. They were lost in their own world until Callie coughed loudly. Addison blushed and broke away from Alex taking her seat once more. Alex did the same, his own face slightly pink.

'Well that was awkward,' Mark laughed.

* * *

Throughout the game they had discovered many things: Cristina, Alex and Izzie had all lived through pretty rough childhoods; George's first time was when he was 24 years old; Mark was afraid of snakes; Callie had a young sister that died at a young age; As a child, Preston used to dream of becoming a plumber, not a surgeon; Derek used to have a sixth toe before he had it removed; Addison is deathly allergic to cocoanut. 

After many turns and many confessions, everyone was nearing the end of the board. They all wanted to win the special prize. However, it was Addison's turn to roll the dice.

'Seven, yes!' she yelled victoriously and she pushed her game piece onto the winning tile. 'I win!' she continued with her boasting.

'Addison, give it a rest, alright?' Derek said tiredly. He was used to Addison being a sore winner.

'You're just jealous because you lost,' she teased.

'This game wasn't about winning; it was about being open and having a better understanding of each other,' Preston reasoned calmly.

'I know,' she rolled her eyes, 'but I still won, and I would appreciate it if you would quit trying to burst my bubble.'

'Yeah, Derek, quit it!' Mark said jokingly, mocking Addison.

'Dude, you're cute when you win,' Alex said to Addison while pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

'Ha! It's cute now, but wait until she beats you at something. You'll never hear the end of it!' Derek warned him seriously.

'Whatever, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it,' Alex said as he placed another kiss on Addison's cheek. Only she turned her head to meet his lips with her own.

'Geez, I think we've seen enough of you two kissing to last us a lifetime,' Mark told them pointedly. They broke apart reluctantly.

'Sorry,' Addison muttered.

Just then, Nigel walked back into the room looking extremely happy. He smiled at each and every one of them, smiling particularly brightly at Addison.

'I see we have a winner!' he said cheerfully.

'Yes!' she replied excitedly.

'Congratulations, Dr. Montgomery. With whom will you be choosing to share your prize?' he asked her.

'Alex of course,' she replied immediately. She smiled at him at he squeezed her hand.

'Very well then. You and Dr. Karev have won a beautiful evening out on the local yacht,' Nigel told her, enthused.

'Oh, that sounds great!' she answered, smiling brightly.

'Does that include dinner?' Alex asked suddenly, feeling his stomach growl. The game had been long and they hadn't eaten for quite a while.

'Yes,' Nigel said his voice strained. He couldn't stand this generation. They were rude and inconsiderate of other people's emotions. But he pushed it aside. 'There will be a menu waiting so that you may choose what you prefer.'

'Great, because I'm starving,' Alex stated while taping his stomach. Nigel's face was twisted in repulsion but Alex didn't notice.

'Of course,' Nigel said uneasily. 'A limousine is waiting to take you there at this very instant.'

Addison looked towards Alex a smiled. They got up and left the room, hand in hand. Cristina rolled her eyes and released a sigh as soon as they had disappeared.

'They're too cute. It's unhealthy,' she muttered darkly. Preston laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.

'Cristina, they're in love,' he told her, grinning. She rolled her eyes once more.

'Oh, please. Like it'll last,' she scoffed while shrugging off Preston's arm.

'I cannot believe you just said that!' Izzie hissed and glared at her.

'Yeah, that was a little mean…' George mumbled quietly and looked away.

Cristina stared at the both of them and sighed. They were right. Her comment had been a little mean…and this was what she was working on. Both Izzie and George had reprimanded her for her insensitivity and she had agreed, on both occasions, to make an effort. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

'I'm…um…sorry?' she said awkwardly. It was still weird to her to apologize to others.

'You should be apologizing to Addison and Alex not them,' Nigel said suddenly. The others had forgotten her was there. They were startled to hear him speak.

'What?'

'Your apology is misdirected,' he elaborated. 'You need to say sorry to Addison and Alex for your rude comment.'

'Um…yeah…I'm not going to apologize to them for something they never heard,' she said crossly.

'Actually Dr. Yang, you will. The progress you all have made is remarkable but it's all for nothing if you keep going back to your hold ways,' he told softly but seriously.

Cristina huffed and turned to Preston for support, but she didn't find it him. Her eyes shifted to Meredith, but her friend only looked away.

'Fine. I'll apologize to them, even though I think it's stupid,' she said resentfully while crossing her arms over her chest.

'Thank you, Dr. Yang,' Nigel forced a smile at her which she didn't return. 'Supper time! And afterwards, you are free for the evening!' he informed before exiting the room.

'Meredith!' Cristina hissed to her friend. 'Why didn't you back me up?' she said coldly.

'I'm sorry! But I think he was right this time!' she pleaded with her friend.

'Oh what does he know?' Cristina exclaimed and left the table.

'Cristina!' Meredith called after her but she had already left. She sighed and looked at Derek. 'You don't think I was being a bad friend, do you?'

'No, not at all. She does owe them an apology,' Derek reassured her. He kissed her on the side of the head. She smiled slightly at him but she still felt bad.

'Don't worry about it, Meredith,' Preston added in an attempt to make her feel better. She nodded in thanks.

'Yeah, she'll get over it. Right?' she questioned a little nervous of the answer.

'Of course she will. She always does,' Izzie said smiling.

'Okay. I think I'm going to go look for her,' Meredith announced as she got up and left the room.

* * *

The yacht was stunning. When Addison and Alex arrived, there was a bottle of chilled champagne awaiting them. Alex got on first and held out his hand to Addison. She took it gratefully, needing the help to get off the dock. A waiter led them to their table, which was decorated with rose scented candles. Alex smiled when the odor reached his nose. 

'What is it?' she asked him, confused to see the soft grin on his face for no apparent reason.

'It's…nothing,' he said, continuing to smile.

'Alex, come on. You can tell me,' she insisted. She put her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. 'You can tell me anything.'

Alex couldn't help but wonder at the woman in front of him. She was so beautiful and kind. He wondered how he ever got this lucky. If someone had told him years before that he was going to end up with this gorgeous woman, he would have laughed. This all seemed so surreal. He hadn't wanted to come on this trip. Not at all. But if was actually turning out to be one of the greatest things to ever happen in his life.

He looked up at her and they locked eyes. She was asking him to open up to her. He could do that. Seriously, he had told her he was falling in love with her the previous night; he should be able to tell her anything now.

'It's the candles,' he started, smiling to himself.

'Yes, what about them?' she inquired, curious as to where he was going with this.

'They smell like roses…just like you,' he explained softly. She blushed and smiled shyly. 'It made me think of you and how lucky I am to be with you,' he finished.

'I think I'm the lucky one,' she said as she entwined her fingers with his. They continued gazing into each others eyes for a few moments until the waiter returned to tell them about the specials.

* * *

After a great salad, a lobster, wine, and a whole lot of bread, Addison was stuffed. She couldn't eat another bite. If she did, she would surely burst…but she still had room for a little bit of desert. 

The waiter returned to the table with a huge piece of caramel cheesecake. It was topped with a great spoon full of whipped cream. Addison could feel her mouth watering. Alex laughed at her and she gave him a look that made him laugh even more.

'You look like you haven't eaten in days,' he told her. She rolled her eyes. She took a fork and directed it towards the delicious looking piece of cake, but Alex pulled it away from her.

'Alex, give me back my cake,' she warned him seriously.

'I thought we were sharing it,' he said playfully, feigning hurt.

'Yes, and that's exactly why you should give it back, so I can have my share,' she reasoned and nodded her head. She extended her arm towards the plate but Alex only pulled it further away.

'Relax. Sit and I'll give some to you,' he ordered gently. She obeyed and sat back down, putting on her best puppy dog pout. Alex smiled at her and took his own fork. He scooped up a nice large bite of cake, with caramel and whipped cream, and brought it to her mouth. She opened it gladly and took the food. Her eyes fluttered shut and she let out a small moan.

'That good?' he asked her, smirking. She mumbled something incoherent in response. 'Wow, I think I'll have to keep the rest of it for myself then,' he teased. Her eyes flew open and she glared at him.

'Don't you dare,' she said in a very low voice.

'What are you going to do about it?' he challenged.

'You don't even want to know,' she countered swiftly, narrowing her eyes at him.

'You're so Goddamn sexy when you're mad,' he informed her and she rolled her eyes.

'Just give me my cake…please?' she begged and laughed.

He gave her back the plate, because as much fun as it was watching her pout, it was really sexy to see her eating the cheesecake.

Afterwards they stood on the balcony staring out at the stars shining above the water. Addison couldn't believe how comfortable she felt around Alex. It had taken her weeks to get this casual with Derek. It was a completely different story with Alex. He brought out a side of her that she thought was gone. He made her feel like a teenage girl. Every time he smiled at her she got butterflies in her stomach. She was so amazed at how intense the feelings she was experiencing for him were. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. And to think that she had been reluctant to come on this _journey_. She was going to thank Richard, twice, and again, and again, and maybe once more, for sending them on this trip of a lifetime.

* * *

_Okay, so I'm horrible for not updating in sooo long...I know...I'm awful. But please review!!! I'll try and update faster if you do...okay, lie. Either way I'll try to update quicker just because I feel soo guilty about not updating in forever...but I would still really appreaciate it if you did review!_

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	16. Change for the Better?

_A/N: Um...yeah. I haven't updated in like a gazillion years. But this is for the people who have reviewed and asked if I would continue the story...here you are! :) I apologize for the delay- I have no good excuse. But I hope you like this chapter anyways...even if you do have to go back a re-read some other ones to remember what's going on...sorry! :)_

_But thanks for the support!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Just the plot. Oh, and Nigel._

* * *

_Chapter 16-Change for the Better?_

'Cristina?'

Meredith had been in search of Cristina for a good twenty minutes. She had gone back to her hotel room, but there was no sign of her friend. She had also tried the bar, because if she knew Cristina, she'd be in the bar, but she was wrong. That's when she began to worry. She hoped Cristina wasn't too mad at her. She hadn't backed her up against Nigel, but she didn't think it was that big of a deal. She was starting to think that there was more to this than just a petty argument.

Meredith was about to turn back to go eat dinner when she spotted a mess of black curls sitting alone on the beach.

'Cristina,' Meredith said with a sigh. 'You really had me worried.'

Cristina had been rooted to that one spot since she had left everyone in the game room. At first she had been upset about having to apologize to Addison and Alex. Actually, she had been more upset because she had lost an argument to that stupid little man. Then she was mad for she thought that she could have beaten _Nigel_ if her so called _friend_ would have helped her. But no. Meredith had to go and be _noble _or whatever. However much she realized that it wasn't that important, but she was still troubled.

'Cristina. Are you listening to me?' Meredith asked as she took as seat next to her in the sand. She looked at her concerned, but Cristina didn't seem to notice.

'I feel like everyone's trying to change me,' she announced bluntly.

'Who's trying to change you?' Meredith tried, not really knowing what Cristina wanted from her at this moment. Did she want a friend to agree with everything she said? Or did she want someone who could talk some sense into her? She didn't know.

'Everyone. Izzie, George…you.'

'Me?' Meredith said incredulously.

'You know, I back you up all the time, and now, the one time I ask for your help in return, you turn on me,' she accused vehemently.

'Cristina, you know that's not how it is. It wasn't like I was trying to like _betray_ you or something. I was just agreeing with the fact that you should apologize,' Meredith spoke defensively.

Cristina didn't respond. She kept her eyes on the water before her.

'Besides, what does that have to do with _everyone_ trying to change you?' Meredith asked, changing the subject.

'It doesn't. I was just saying…' Cristina said blandly.

'Oh, okay,' Meredith responded dumbly. 'Then what's wrong?'

'It's just this trip. This stupid, stupid, trip. It's like I'm constantly being punished or yelled at for being the way I am,' she explained while waving her arms around for emphasis.

'We've all got things to work on. That's why we're here,' Meredith said in an attempt to soothe her.

'No. You all have got to work on your relationships with each other. But me, I have to change everything about myself to please others. I'm not a nice person sometimes. It's true. I acknowledge that. But that's the way I've been all my life. Why should I have to change _me _now?' she said fiercely. Her eyes were shining with tears.

'Cristina…' Meredith whispered. She had no idea what to say. It was true what Cristina was saying. She was being asked often to change for the benefit of others. It wasn't fair to her.

'What, Mer? What are you going to say?'

'I don't know…I understand though,' she answered softly putting an arm around her for comfort.

'Do you, now?' Cristina replied sarcastically.

'Yeah, and I agree. It's not fair to you. But Cristina, these people, George and Izzie, and me, hell, even Alex, we love you. We really do, otherwise we wouldn't bother telling you that you need to change. And really, we can't change you unless you want to. We're just…asking you to make an effort, because sometimes…you can be hurtful…' Meredith told her. It was hard to say these things, yet she thought it was necessary for Cristina to hear.

Cristina looked up at Meredith her eyes shining. One lonely tear made its way down her cheek.

'I feel like I can't be myself anymore,' she said thickly, her voice breaking slightly.

'You can always be yourself. You just have to watch what you say. That's all we're asking for,' Meredith said softly.

'Okay,' she sniffed in response. 'I think I can do that…'

'Okay then. Want to go back to the rooms and order some room service?' Meredith suggested.

'Let's go.'

* * *

'Have you seen Cristina?' Preston asked as he took the stool next to Derek in the resort bar.

'Nope,' he responded, motioning to the bartender to bring a drink for Preston.

'Thank you,' Preston nodded as he received his drink. 'Where's Meredith?'

'I have no idea. I went looking for her after dinner, but I couldn't find her,' Derek explained indifferently.

'Aren't you worried?' Preston questioned perplexed.

'Hm…let me think…Meredith is missing. Cristina is missing. Connection?' Derek asked sarcastically.

'You're a regular comedian, Shepherd,' Preston added matching Derek's tone.

'Why thank you Dr. Burke.'

'I'm going to go find her,' he announced and left the bar.

* * *

'George, take a walk with me?'

'Sure, Iz.'

They took the longest route available to tourist. Neither of them spoke for a very long time, though it didn't matter. They were friends, best friends; words weren't necessary to express certain things. George knew Izzie wanted to talk about something, but he didn't push her. She would tell him in her own time. In fact, he was glad of her silence because he knew that when she began talking, she wouldn't be stopping for quite some time. However, as much as he sometimes wished for her to shut up, at this moment, he would have very much liked for her to blab. He really wanted to know what was going on between her and Dr. Sloan. Addison had said they were a couple now…could it be true?

'Okay, Iz, spill!' he said loudly after 20 minutes of silence.

'What are you talking about, George?' she replied innocently.

'Don't play games! You! And Sloan!'

'George, don't get so worked up. You know I was kidding,' she smirked at him.

He fumed for a few minutes, not appreciating her sense of humor at the moment. He took in a deep breath to steady himself.

'Izzie, I've wanted to know for the past 20 minutes. But, being the supportive friend that I am, I didn't say anything. And now, you laugh at me?' he said calmly but seriously.

'I'm sorry. But there's no need to get all worked up,' she retorted defensively, while crossing her arms.

'I'm not worked up! I'm fine. Now go. Tell me what you were going to say,' he started loudly but finished in the best normal tone of voice he could muster.

'Okay then. What I was going to say is,' she took a deep breath, 'I'm dating Mark.'

'Izzie…are you…I mean…are you sure about this?' he asked as delicately as possible.

'George, give it a rest. Alex has already given me this talk. The whole, _I-don't-want-you-to-get-hurt-so-be-careful_ talk,' she said nonchalantly whilst rolling her eyes.

'Well, it's just that he has a reputation…wait a minute. You told Alex before me? Alex Karev?!' he questioned angrily.

'George! Just relax. Mark has changed! This entire retreat thingy is for us to change into better people!' Izzie practically yelled at him.

'But why Alex before me? I thought I meant more to you than him,' he replied in a whiny voice.

'George, Alex is a good friend of mine, you know that. What has gotten into you, anyways? I've never seen you get so mad so many times before?'

'You said it yourself: this retreat is for us to change. I've changed,' he answered dully.

Izzie looked as though she had been slapped in the face. She had been so happy moments before. Her life had been bliss for a few short minutes. She had a new boyfriend who seemed pretty damn perfect to her. She was on vacation for the rest of the week in the Bahamas! But now, all of that seemed quite insignificant. She felt like she was losing her best friend and with him, a piece of her heart.

'So…what are you saying, George?' she said quietly, her voice lost.

'I'm saying…that I've changed…and if you can't accept that, then maybe we can't be friends anymore,' he said just as quietly but with strength Izzie never knew he had.

Izzie stood perfectly still for a few seconds, taking in what he had just said. She couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling at the moment. However, before she had the chance to speak, George turned around and left. She stood there for a long time, rooted to the spot, wondering if this trip had been a good idea after all.

* * *

Callie wandered around the resort in search of George. She had seen him leave the dining area with Izzie. Before this would have made her mad, and probably jealous, yet now she felt surprisingly good about it. Since she and Izzie had had their little laugh attack, things seemed much more relaxed between them. She was starting to see what George saw in her as a friend. Of course, she still had her reservations, but she was beginning to understand the purpose of this trip.

She was just about to give up her hunt for George, when she saw him stomping towards the lobby elevator.

'George! George, wait up!'

'Callie…' he stopped walking to let her catch up to him.

'Are you okay? You look like someone's just seriously pissed you off,' she stated after seeing his face.

'Yeah,' he answered shortly.

'Oh…' she started surprised, 'well do you want to talk about it?'

'No thanks,' he said and got into the elevator doors that had just opened. Callie remained where she was, surprised and slightly insulted at the way he had just treated her. Who had made him that mad? It couldn't be Izzie, could it? Maybe Cristina…yeah, she often made George mad. But this time, he seemed different…angry but at the same time sad. Disappointed even.

'Callie!'

Callie turned around at the mention of her name and found herself facing a very happy Addison followed by an equally happy Alex. Well, she thought, at least somebody's enjoying themselves.

'Addison, Alex. How was your dinner?' she asked them, though not really caring for an answer at the moment.

'Amazing! It was the most romantic thing ever!' Addison replied excitedly.

'What about you guys? Dinner good?' Alex asked Callie, putting his arm around Addison's shoulders.

'Um…dramatic? I suppose that would sum it up,' Callie told them, sighing.

'Why, what happened?' Addison questioned concerned.

'Oh…just some regular Cristina drama…she stormed out at the end,' Callie explained lightly.

'Why did she storm out?' Alex asked, wanting to know more.

'Um…I don't want to go into detail. You'll find out about it soon enough,' she replied noncommittally.

'Callie, come on!' Addison whined, putting on a pout.

'You're so cute when you make that face,' Alex told her, kissing her nose.

'Yeah, I'll take that as my cue to leave…' Callie said, getting into the elevator that had just now returned. Neither Addison nor Alex noticed though, seeing as they were both too absorbed in each other.

* * *

'Feeling better?' Meredith asked Cristina tipsily after swallowing another gulp of tequila.

'Much, much better,' Cristina replied, slurring slightly because of the alcohol.

They had gone back up to Meredith and Preston's hotel room and ordered the most expensive platter of food they could find, though they weren't very hungry. After having stuffed themselves with the best food the hotel could offer, they raided the mini-fridge, laughing hysterically at the price listings.

'11.50 for a tiny bottle of cashews?!' Cristina had exclaimed. 'Who the hell likes these things enough to pay that much money?'

There hadn't been many words spoken after that. They had continued to frequently erupt in giggle fits, the longest one lasting well over fifteen minutes. There was also, once in a while, the occasional silence, but only the kind that results from laughing so hard that absolutely no sound comes out. There had also been tears, but once again, they had been the product of an intensely funny moment.

Cristina felt so elated in that instant, that she had forgotten why she had been so upset in the first place. Meredith's company (not to mention the booze) had soothed her. She felt better about the entire situation now…though she couldn't say she was happy about it.

The fact that she wasn't a nice person wasn't news to her. She had always been this way. She had started to suspect sometime in her youth, that she would eventually have to change her ways, and start acting somewhat nicer to those around her. She had promised herself to at least attempt to be more decent to others. However, after finishing her university studies, she had quite abandoned that promise. In her mind, there was no need to change any longer. She had made it to where she was by being herself, why should she need to change now?

Reality came crashing down on her when Burke _and _Meredith refused to back her up tonight. She had come to the realization that if she wanted to move forward in life, she would need to accept change. Sure, her rudeness had gotten her this far, but now, she was stuck in a rut, and the only way to evade it, was to…_change_. Fine then, if that's what it took, she would change.

A knock on the door interrupted her and Meredith's drunken stupor. They froze, momentarily confused by the noise. Then Meredith yelled: 'Come in!'

Burke walked in, letting a sigh escape his lips at the sight of them both. He took in the scene before him: there were small empty bottles of every liquor imaginable littered on the floor, quite a few half-eaten plates of gourmet food, Meredith flat on her bed, and Cristina, hanging upside down on the edge his bed. _Oh great_, he thought, _they're drunk again_.

'Cristina, can we talk?' he asked her. She peered up at him, or down at him, seeing as she was upside down.

'There's nooooofing to talk about!' she slurred happily. Meredith laughed.

'Meredith, would you mind giving us for a moment?

'Uh-huh,' she replied, but had a lot of trouble removing herself for the tangle of covers on the bed. Finally managing to get up, she smiled lazily at Burke and said: 'No hanky-panky in my bed!'

When she was gone, Burke moved to Cristina and pulled her back up from the bed. Her face was flushed, but he wasn't sure if that was because of the alcohol of because she had been upside down too long…

'Cristina, about dinner…' he started softly, cradling her because she seemed unable to sit up on her own.

'It was yummy,' she replied.

'Yes. It was. But that's not really where I was going,' he continued in the same soft voice.

'You just got here and now you're going?' she asked perplexed.

'No, I'm not going anywhere,' he replied starting to sound slightly annoyed. 'Cristina, at dinner, I didn't take your side…' he trailed off looking at her uncertainly, trying to decipher the look in her eyes.

Cristina seemed to sober slightly at his words. She suddenly recalled very vividly how she had felt a few hours before. She looked up into Preston's eyes and her breath caught her in throat. He was looking at her with such love and adoration, it took her by surprise.

'I…was mad,' she stated rather unnecessarily. 'But I'm not anymore…not as much anyways,' she finished quite clearly for someone who had been drunk a mere seconds ago.

'You're not?' he asked skeptically.

'I've though about it,' she said, her voice low and raspy from laughing so much, 'and I've decided that I'm going to change…or try at the very least.'

'Cristina…'

'No, Burke, I…_want _to.'

She couldn't believe the words had come out of her mouth. And yet, it hadn't been a lie. Cristina suddenly realized that she _did _want to change. Not to please others, oh no. Pleasing others had never been her goal. But to please herself. To better herself. To be the best person she could be. She prided herself on being number one, and at the moment, she really wasn't. She wasn't the best person, and if she was honest with herself, she knew she'd never be, but that shouldn't stop her from trying. She wanted to be on top again. And she was going to be…soon. She'd make sure of it.

'Cristina, I will support you in any decision you make…I should have earlier…' Preston trailed off again, averting her eyes.

'Burke, I was…wrong earlier. It was…mean of me to say those things about Alex and Addison. I'm going to…um, apologize to them…later,' Cristina stammered awkwardly. After all, she wasn't going to become a nice person in the blink of an eye.

'Yes…it was mean. But so was I…I'm sorry,' he said sincerely.

'There's nothing to be sorry for,' she said smiling up at him.

And then she threw up on the floor.

* * *

Izzie walked along the shoreline, trying to figure out what to do. She wasn't sure what to make of George and his sudden declaration of _change_. She felt like a hypocrite. She had been preaching change to everyone. She'd been encouraging others to embrace this entire trip and its message, and yet now, she wasn't so sure she liked it.

George had said he had changed. When had that happened? You'd think she would have noticed her best friend turning into a completely different person! Then again, she hadn't been completely attentive lately…she had been too absorbed in Mark. But was that such a bad thing?

She had finally found someone with whom she felt a true connection. She was happy with Mark. Sure, it had only been like a day, but she didn't care. She felt more at home with him then she had with all of her previous boyfriends put together. A feeling like that didn't come everyday. Was it so wrong of her to be happy? Then again, maybe she was being conceded now. It probably had nothing to do with her, or with Mark. Not really. It had everything to do with George. Just George. Maybe this was a long time coming, but she simply hadn't noticed to signs. Ah, it was all so confusing! She just wanted George back to the way he was. Maybe change wasn't always a good thing after all. Maybe this trip wasn't such a good thing. Maybe-

'Izzie! There you are,' Mark's breathless voice said somewhere behind her.

'Mark!' she exclaimed with faked enthusiasm. She hugged him tightly and hid her face in his shoulder, but he sensed something was wrong.

'Hey, what's wrong?' he asked concerned.

'Nothing,' she lied against his chest.

'Yeah, right,' he answered, obviously not having believed a word she had said. He pushed her away from him gently, and urged her chin upwards. She met his eyes.

'I had a fight with George,' she admitted quietly.

'Was it about…us?' he asked nervously.

'Yes…and no…I don't know,' she said exasperatedly.

'Um…you're going to need to clear that up a little for me…' he tried to joke, but she didn't laugh.

'It was about us at first…but then it was about me telling Alex about us before him. But then it wasn't really. It was something completely different,' she explained, brows furrowed in confusion at her own explanation.

'Um…okay,' he said slowly, trying to grasp all she had said.

'It was more about him, really…though I didn't realize it at first. He was getting mad, really quickly, and I was like, George, why are you freaking out,' she said looking upwards to remember the finer details of their conversation.

'That doesn't really sound like O'Malley,' Mark put in, trying to be helpful.

'Exactly, right? So I was confused, and I thought he was just upset about us, so I told him you had changed…' she continued agitatedly, waving her hands around her for emphasis.

'Okay, and then what?' he encouraged.

'Then he said that _he_ had changed. And it's true. He's like a different person…I can't believe I didn't notice it before. But he told me to accept it, or we couldn't be friends…and he walked away and now I just don't know anything anymore,' she finished lamely.

'Izzie, everything's going to be fine,' Mark said soothingly.

'No, Mark, it's not! This isn't some stupid fight about someone not starting a new roll of toilet paper once the other one's done! This is big!' she said somewhat angrily at him for not understanding the gravity of the situation.

'Okay, okay, everything's not going to be fine!' he said raising his hands in surrender.

'How can you say that?' she looked up at him tearfully, and Mark was torn. He was angry at her for not being able to make up her mind on what she wanted to hear from him. But then, he was also saddened by how lost she looked at that moment.

'Izzie,' he started softly, opting for the comforting boyfriend speech, 'I don't know how things are going to turn out. That's really up to you and George…and whether the two of you want to work at this and salvage your friendship, or give up.'

'I love him too much to give up without a fight,' she choked out, a tear falling onto her cheek. He brushed it away softly.

'Then fight.'

* * *

'What do you think that whole _Cristina-Drama_ thing was about?' Alex asked Addison once they were back in their hotel room.

'I don't know...it's probably not important. You know Cristina,' she answered indifferently as she removed her jewelry.

'Well why didn't Callie just tell us then?' he countered taking off his shirt and throwing it on top of his suit case.

'Why do you care so much?' she asked him suspiciously, turning to look at him. She had a hard time keeping her face serious because he looked pretty damn sexy with no shirt on.

And then she looked at his face, and the look in his eyes simply made her melt. He was staring at her with a softness she had never seen from him. She could have drowned in his eyes at that moment.

'You know that she and I have had…disagreements in the past,' he started softly, 'the most recent about you,' he continued but his voice was harder, and his jaw set in a way that made Addison weak in the knees.

'Yes, I know,' she said mildly.

'Well the way Callie was talking, it just gave me the impression that this _drama_ was about us…and if she was insulting you when you weren't even there-' he stopped to take a breath and calm himself.

'Alex, I don't care what she thinks about me.'

'But I care. I care about you. And I don't like people talking negatively about you,' he finished quietly once more, while gazing at her adoringly.

'Alex…'

'Addison.'

She didn't have a chance to respond. He crossed the room in two strides and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her sweetly and softly, gently moving his lips against her own. Her eyes fluttered shut and all coherent thoughts fled from her brain. There was nothing but Alex, and his lips. She put her arms around his neck while he grabbed her waist. Soon, the kiss had evolved into something much more passionate and animalistic. Alex slipped his tongue into Addison's mouth, and she couldn't help but moan in response. He needed no further encouragement. He scooped her up and placed her onto the bed.

He would be tired again tomorrow. But it was so worth it.

* * *

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